A Chance Encounter
by Hatakefire
Summary: "Life was going very well for the Cullen family and so part of Carlisle wasn't that surprised when he saw a boy being chased by a bunch of bullies disappear with a sharp crack and reappear on the roof." A story where the Cullens find a neglected young boy and Harry finds the family he always wished he had. Carlisle centric, no pairings. Timelines explained inside
1. Chapter 1

**Thank you for clicking on this story! Reviews are love!**

**Important A/N: I know the timelines don't match up, but I wanted the whole Cullen family in this story with the experience of the events of the Twilight saga. Please keep a suspended disbelief if I ever mention using phones or the internet and just go with it, because this is fanfiction and it isn't that important anyway.**

**Carlisle is the main Cullen/character but the other family members will be in the story. No pairings for any HP characters yet. Later on there will be more Harry POV but for now it will be Carlisle. Slight Dumbledore bashing due to the Dursley's treatment of Harry**

**Warnings: There will be mention of abuse in the form of neglect and hints of physical abuse.**

**CHAPTER ONE**

Carlisle enjoyed walking to the hospital and seeing all the sights that Europe had to offer. He could only take these walks when Alice informed him that the sun would not shine for his entire walk and that no one would notice a man walking for three or more hours to the hospital, and so these walks were few and far between.

He particularly liked passing by the primary school and watching the children play outside. Renesemee had finally finished growing up and when she and Jacob became romantically involved she was finally seen as an adult in her family's eyes (lest Edward and Bella try to kill Jacob and start another pack vs vampire war). He and Esmee had enjoyed being grandparents, an opportunity they never thought they would be able to enjoy, and were currently experiencing some Empty Nest Syndrome. All of his children and Jacob's pack were going to college in England. They had purchased a large house in the countryside with enough room for the pack to roam and patrol. Esme was absolutely loving the renovations she got to do to the house, and had already built Bella and Edward a private cottage far into the woods for their privacy. Jacob and Renesmee were living on campus to gain the full college experience (and to not live with the Cullens) but came by for dinner most nights. Charlie, having finally retired and remarried to Sue Clearwater, had agreed to move with his family and had a small lake house where he could fish to his heart's content. Charlie hadn't wanted to leave Forks, but Sue had made him a bit more adventurous and he was happy to be with his eternal daughter and his quickly grown granddaughter.

Life was going very well and so part of Carlisle wasn't that surprised when he saw a boy being chased by a bunch of bullies disappear with a sharp crack and reappear on the roof.

The boy looked as dumbfounded as Carlisle felt as the bullies shouted at him from below. Where human eyes allowed a benefit of doubt, Carlisle's vampiric eyes could confirm what had happened. The boy hadn't jumped onto the roof. He had _teleported. _Disappeared and reappeared somewhere else. Carlisle immediately sought the boy's scent as he stopped walking. Normally, it was easier for him to allow the scents of the rest of the world to take up his attention and ignore the delicious human smells permeating the air. At first he smelled nothing abnormal, just the scent of a young boy and the blood of his skinned knees and hands. But as he focused his senses he smelled something….electric. It was like the boy's scent was tingling, filled with something that was _other _that Carlisle had never smelled.

Curiosity thoroughly spiked, Carlisle switched directions and walked over to the side of the building.

"Is there a problem here?" He asked pleasantly. The bullies all exchanged looks. The larger one, who Carlisle assumed was the leader, finally mumbled no and gestured for his gang to follow him around the corner and away from the scene. Once they were gone, Carlisle turned to look at the boy on the roof. He had striking green emerald eyes and messy black hair. He was small in a way that told Carlisle he was malnourished. He wore baggy clothes that barely fit and his glasses were taped with Scotch tape. The only other thing of note was a lightning shaped scar on his forehead, and the scientist in Carlisle was immediately fascinated by the circumstances which would create such a specific scar.

"Are you alright?" Carlisle asked, keeping his pleasant tone.

"Yes, sir." The boy said.

"Would you like any help getting down?" Carlisle offered. Questions swirled in his mind, but centuries of experience warned him not to pry just yet.

"No sir. Thank you sir, but I can do it myself." He said quietly. The boy lowered himself over the edge of the roof and used his toes to search out the rubbish bins. He landed on those and then jumped to the ground, managing to keep his balance.

"What's your name?" Carlisle asked, trying to keep the conversation going. The boy was very polite but very quiet and would surely try to slip away if Carlisle gave him the chance.

"Harry sir, Harry Potter." Harry answered, brushing dirt from his knees.

"Here, let me." Carlisle offered, reaching for his black medical bag.

"It's alright sir, it happens all the time. You don't need to trouble yourself." Harry rushed to assure him.

"Well, Harry, my name is Carlisle Cullen and I am a doctor. You don't expect a doctor to just let you run around with bleeding knees do you?" Carlisle reasoned. Harry hesitated, obviously on the verge of saying no, but Carlisle had already pulled out a small first aid kit and the alcohol swabs, and so he stayed. "I guess." He said. "Thank you, sir."

"Of course, Harry. You're a very polite young boy. Your parents taught you good manners." Carlisle said, hoping Harry would tell him something about his parents.

"My parents are dead." Harry told him. "I live with my Aunt and Uncle."

"I'm sorry to hear that Harry." Carlisle said sincerely. Even after such a long life, he still hated the idea of death, especially ones that affect young children. He moved on, added "Could you roll up your pants Harry? I want to make sure I clean it all. This will sting." He warned.

"Sure." Harry rolled up his pant legs and barely winced as Carlisle cleaned up his knees and bandaged them. Carlisle filed that information away as he moved to the boys hands, cleaning them up but deciding they didn't need to be bandaged. As Harry let his pants fall back down, he had a sudden realization. "Oh no, Aunt Petunia is going to kill me!" Seeing Carlisle's startled face, he said quickly "I mean, not really. It's just these are Dudley's pants and they're my only pair and she's going to be real mad I ruined them."

"And Dudley is?" Carlisle asked, packing away his things.

"My cousin." Harry said. It looked like he was going to say more but he held back at the last second. Carlisle still needed more information and took his time making sure everything was neat and orderly in his bag. He decided to just go for it.

"That was a really great jump you did. Is that how you hurt your knees?" Carlisle asked conversationally.

"No sir. I skinned them when I was running earlier. I don't know how I got up there. The wind must have lifted me." Harry said thoughtfully. Carlisle raised his eyebrow. "Wind lifted you all the way up to the roof? When there hasn't been wind blowing all day?"

"Well it has to be. How would you explain it sir?" Harry added, a bit desperately. "Cause Dudley will tell Aunt Petunia that I was on the roofs and I'll have to explain how I got up there and they think I did anything freaky -" Harry slammed his mouth shut. After a moment of awkward silence, he added quietly. "Y'know so….if you know I'd like to know." Carlisle searched Harry's face for a hint of any lies, but found none.

"Dudley was in the group chasing you?" Carlisle decided not to answer. Harry nodded. "You talked to him. He's the leader. They do Harry Hunting whenever we have recess. But I've never jumped that high before, honest! Usually I just run until they give up." Harry added, as though he was worried Carlisle would accuse him of something.

Carlisle thought back to the boy he saw. His clothes suggested he was from an upper-class family. He was overweight, confident, well-off, and a bully. Harry immediately knew Dudley would try to get him in trouble, and succeed. He had had other instances like the roof incident that his aunt and uncle found "freakish". Harry was underfed, dressed poorly, shy and polite to a fault. The clues were beginning to come together, and Carlisle did not like what he saw. That, added with the strange scent Harry had and the teleportation Carlisle had witnessed was enough to make Carlisle's decision for him. He was going to investigate this.

"I believe you Harry. You should probably head to class now." Carlisle said. After a moment's thought, he fished in his bag and produced a bright green lollipop.

"For being such a good patient. But maybe eat that where Dudley can't see, okay?" Carlisle suggested. Harry's eyes widened. "For me?" He whispered. Carlisle's heart broke a little, and he felt his suspicions were all but confirmed with just those two words.

"Yes, Harry."

"Thank you, Mr. Cullen!" Harry said, taking the lollipop almost reverently. He waved to Carlisle as he left, then disappeared into the building, lollipop shoved deep into his pocket for later.

**A/N: PLEASE let me know what you think! I am not sure if there will be any interest in this story so if you guys want me to post more chapters let me know!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you so much for the kind reviews and interest! As requested, here is the second chapter. Reviews are love!**

**CHAPTER TWO**

Carlisle spent the day thinking about the strange boy named Harry Potter, with his strange scar and even stranger ability/possible abilities. He was eager to go home and share his findings with his wife and family. Edward and Bella had been book shopping (the only kind of shopping Bella really enjoyed) and agreed to pick him up after work so he wouldn't have to walk home. He couldn't risk using vampiric speed in a crowded area and he wasn't willing to walk at a human pace and waste any hours.

Edward and Bella arrived right on time, and luckily there were no cases he had to stay longer for. Bella politely got out of the car and sat in the backseat, leaving him up front with Edward. He had already told her this was completely unnecessary, but she argued that if Edward tried to make Charlie or Renee sit in the back it would be rude, and so she would always do the same for him and Esme.

"Didn't want to take the scenic route today?" Bella asked.

"No." He said, and then explained what he had seen. Edward would hear his thoughts anyway, and Bella had the most recent first hand human experience in the Cullen family and may be able to provide some insights. They agreed that it had to be investigated.

"Can you imagine what the Volturi would do to a human who showed such potential as a human?" Edward asked darkly. Carlisle hadn't even considered the Volturi, so caught up in his own curiosity and concern for the boy, which this new line of thought did not help alleviate.

"All the more reason to find out more about him." Carlisle said, already preparing how he would go about investigating Harry's life.

"This is so like you Carlisle," Bella commented fondly.

"What do you mean?" He asked, slightly confused.

"Well, I think this is sort of your power." When Edward also looked confused, Bella elaborated. "You just have a power for finding people who need you. I mean you're a doctor first of all. You happened to have Edward as a patient just as you were wanting companionship and his mother somehow knew what you were or suspected. You met Esme when she was a little girl, and then again when she jumped off that cliff. Jasper and Alice needed a non-violent home and they managed to find you, the only vegan vampire in existence. You happened to be in the same city as Rosalie to save her just in time, and in turn managed to save Emmet just in time. Edward and I needed to meet and without you that never would have happened. Plus the Denali's and pretty much every other person or vampire you meet." Bella explained. "Now this little boy who has some kind of teleportation ability and a possibly abusive family meets a doctor who is also a vampire and won't be freaked out by it as much." Carlisle just sort of stared at her, bemused. "I mean, I'm sure Eleazar would have told you if it was an actual power but its just sort of a theory I have." She rambled.

"I never really thought about that." He said thoughtfully. Bella and Edward started at him incredulously before Edward shook his head. "You are far too humble Carlisle." To which Carlisle had no reply.

They made it home quickly and Carlisle braced himself for the arguments that were sure to come. Jasper was the most prominent negative voice, urging the family to consider their own safety. Esme was all for helping the child, and while Rosalie was concerned about their family safety she also was in agreement that if Carlisle could do something to help, he should. Emmett agreed with Rosalie, though he did suggest Carlisle do something more permanent to Harry's aunt and uncle if his suspicions proved correct and Alice was excited to help in any way. Jasper reluctantly agreed after voicing Edward's previous comment about the Volturi. Jacob didn't really care as long as Renesmee was safe and Renesmee was very curious about the boy's abilities. There were theories and thoughts thrown around, but finally everyone was agreed.

"I will learn more about Harry and his family and discover more about these incidents he mentioned. If he is abused, I will contact child services and then we can keep an eye on him from afar." Carlisle decided. As he finished speaking, Alice let out a sudden growl. Vampires didn't really jump, but they did look startled at fun, spunky Alice actually sounding like, well, a vampire.

"The keep him locked in a _cupboard." _She hissed. Her hiss was immediately echoed by the rest of the family. Most of them had lived a long time, and had seen many horrors, including horrors done to children. In the interest of anonymity they had restricted themselves to only helping those that wouldn't risk exposing them, but that didn't lessen their feelings towards the innocent. Rosalie and Esme especially looked particularly unhappy.

"Be careful, Carlisle. We can't save everyone." Jasper warned, his calming influence sweeping through the room. Carlisle nodded. Jasper's concern was well-founded. With Harry's abilities, it was quite possible he would be missed if Carlisle just took him away (which is what he wanted to do as soon as he heard Alice). He would do this legally and carefully, to protect both Harry and his family. He wasn't sure why he was so invested in this boy in particular. He wanted to tell himself it was just because of the dangers from the Volturri, but he knew it was something more. The boy drew him, just as Edward had when he first chose to change him. Edward raised an eyebrow at him and he knew he was thinking about what Bella had said.

_Maybe I do have a power, _Carlisle thought at him, a hint of amusement in his mind. Edward rolled his eyes.

"What else did you see Alice?" Bella asked curiously.

"Carlisle visits them tonight." She glanced at her adoptive father. "He'll tell us what he sees." Carlisle had been planning on to find out where Harry lives and visit them to see the aftermath of today, and simply nodded.

"I'll let you know then." He said. He decided it was dark enough to risk a run, as he didn't want his car seen and traced back to him. He got to the school and noted that the doors were locked. He circled around until he found an unlocked window and slipped inside. He despised this sort of activity, but this was the quickest way to find where Harry lived. He found the classroom that had Harry's scent most strongly in it. Luckily, his teacher seemed quite organized and it only took a minute to find Harry's address in his file. He put everything back the way it was and ran to Harry's house. It was late by now, around nine o clock. Harry's cousin, Dudley, was in the first bedroom Carlisle checked. His room was a disaster of barely used toys. He was sitting at a computer screen, clicking frantically with his mouse. Carlisle went to the next bedroom and frowned. His eyes could make out a room full of broken toys, some that seemed to be from Dudley's toddler days and others that were more recent. The only other bedroom was obviously the parent's room, with a king sized bed, a pretty vanity and a large wardrobe.

He went to check the living room, careful to keep out of sight and saw Harry aunt and uncle for the first time. The uncle was quite large, with a thick mustache and an expensive suit. His wife sat near him, wearing a pretty yellow dress. She was thin and tall, with a surprisingly long neck. He could smell Harry and his strange electric scent in the house, but he could not see him. He remembered Alice's vision of Harry in the cupboard and his expression darkened. He spent the next hour watching the aunt and uncle interact. They seemed like stereotypical upper class people. The aunt was a housewife who spied on her neighbors and liked to gossip. The uncle worked at a business called "Grunnings" and seemed to be high up the chain of command.

After they went to bed, Carlisle debated whether he should wait here or go back home. His musings were interrupted when he heard the creak of a door open. From his position by the window he couldn't see into the hallway, but he did hear the sound of a child's breathing more clearly. There was a pause as the breath stopped, and then the slow steps of bare feet. A head of messy black hair poked into the room, and after a breath of relief the breathing started. Carlisle watched with morbid fascination as the boy expertly rooted through the kitchen for food that wouldn't be missed. A few scraps from the trash can were quickly shoved in his mouth and then he hurried back to what Carlisle assumed was the cupboard Alice had mentioned. Rage filled him, and his lips pulled back in an automatic snarl. He squashed the urge quickly, but he couldn't find it in him to regret the reaction. They may not be completely starving him, but with how fat his cousin and uncle were they could surely spare him more food. Carlisle circled the house a few times, and finally found a place in front of the house where he could see the cupboard under the stairs. His senses confirmed that's where Harry was sleeping, and his anger rose. They kept a room full of broken toys but kept their nephew in a _cupboard? _

Carlisle waited until morning, frozen in his hiding spot, and watched the family's morning routine. Aunt Petunia, as Carlisle learned her name was, banged on the door to wake Harry up. Harry was out in about a minute, dressed again in clothes that were far too big for him. Harry immediately went to making breakfast as his Aunt went upstairs to do her makeup. He served everyone but himself, and then went about cleaning all of the dishes, taking out the trash, and wiping down the counters. Orders were barked at him and he was only addressed as "boy". It was a wonder he had been able to tell Carlisle his name with how he was addressed at home.

"Remember you may not have lunch at school today because of your….incident." Vernon said with a sneer. "Yes, Uncle Vernon." Harry responded politely.

"And you will not have dinner tonight because you ripped your pants. We go to great lengths to keep you fed and clothed and it was very disrespectful of you to treat your clothes like that." Aunt Petunia added sternly.

Carlisle was on the edge of storming in there and snatching Harry away. He hated not being able to do something. Part of the reason he hated being a vampire was that while he could use his vampiric abilities to help people, the need to stay in secret restricted this ability. He loved helping others and he hated that sometimes he couldn't. _The safety of my family comes first. _He reminded himself firmly. He found himself thinking of Esme, and her dead baby boy. What if she had died, like Harry's parents, and found out her son was being treated like Harry? The thought made him feel ill.

The family plus Harry (for Carlisle refused to count him as part of this family) finished getting ready and headed out for the day. Carlisle did not work at the hospital today, and he hurried home as quickly as he could, making sure to use his speed only when he was out of sight of any humans. He had enough evidence to voice his concerns to child services and hopefully find Harry a better home. Then maybe Carlisle could find the answer to Harry's strange teleportation ability.

**A/N: What do you guys think? What do you want to see? I'll try to make updates weekly but there was such a huge response to the first chapter I just had to post another one! Please review :)**

**-Hatakefire**


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

**A/N: I don't know the correct CPS service or if I'm breaking any rules by their procedures but I figure this is a good, generic view of what CPS does. Feel free to let me know in your review what I did wrong! Lol. Also, if you haven't guessed yet, I'm American, so I apologize for any of my ignorance of Britain that bleeds through!**

**Thank you so much for all of your favorites, follows and reviews! It makes me super happy that this story has been so well received. Enjoy!**

Harry woke up to the familiar banging outside of his cupboard. He bit back a groan as he realized it was a Saturday. Most of his classmates were thrilled when the weekend came, but for him it just meant more chores. Today he knew he would be in the garden and cleaning the baseboards as he did every Saturday, and Aunt Petunia would give him the list of things he had to do by lunch and then the things he had to do if he wanted dinner. Luckily, his punishment for the pants and jumping incident was over and he was eating normally again. Well, normal for him. He rolled over, taking a moment to look at the small white stick he had next to the lost chess pieces from Dudley's old chess set. It had the lollipop Mr. Cullen had given him before Harry had eaten it. He kept it as a reminder that not all adults were mean, and because it was one of the few sweets Harry had ever had.

Harry thought about that encounter again. Mr. Cullen looked like the type of guy in one of Aunt Petunia's soaps, and had even acted the part of a hero. He had chased the bullies away and bandaged Harry up and had been so nice! Harry often spent a lot of time daydreaming to stave off the boredom when he wasn't doing chores, and his latest dream was that Mr. Cullen would come rescue him from the Dursley's. Harry shook his head. That was over a week ago. Now wasn't the time for wishful thinking. Now was the time for chores.

He started with the gardening first, so that he wouldn't have to do it when it was really hot. He was in the backyard and so he didn't hear the knock that came from the front door. He didn't look up to see the man in the dark suit peer at him through the window, and he couldn't hear the small disapproving noise when a pretty lady in a professional blouse and pants opened his cupboard door. And no one, not even Arabella Figg who was watching the house nervously when she saw the strangers arrived, noticed the three figures hiding near his house. He did, however, hear Aunt Petunia's shrill, "Harry! Come in here, dear."

Harry stared blankly, his mind a jumble of confusion at his aunt's form of address. That was his name, which was strange enough, but why was she calling him a deer? However, she did call him inside and so he stood up, brushing off dirt, and headed towards the back door.

"Yes, Aunt Petunia?" He asked nervously, hovering by the back door.

"Well come in dear!" Aunt Petunia waved him inside.

"Um, Aunt Petunia, I'm still muddy from the gardening." He said hesitantly. He didn't want to get in trouble for backtalk, but that wouldn't be nearly as bad as tracking mud in the house. His aunt's smile became rather fixed as she said, "Don't worry, I'll clean it up later. We have guests!" Harry wondered what sort of alternate reality he had stepped into, and hesitantly entered the house. Seated at the kitchen table was a man and woman who seemed to be studying him thoroughly. He wasn't sure what they were looking for, but they didn't seem to like what they found. He shrunk in on himself.

The lady shared a glance with the man and then knelt down so they were eye to eye.

"Hello Harry. My name is Sarah Preston, but you can just call me Ms. Sarah. We're here to check up on you and make sure your life is going well." She said. Her voice was quiet and kind, and with her blonde hair and brown eyes, she reminded Harry a bit of Mr. Cullen. He relaxed slightly.

"This is my partner, Daniel Morrison. He's going to talk to your aunt for a bit." Ms. Sarah continued. "Do you think we could talk alone for a bit? Maybe in your room?" She suggested, glancing at Aunt Petunia.

His aunt swallowed nervously. "I don't think that's a good idea. He hasn't cleaned his room yet."

Ms. Sarah seemed to give her a knowing look. "That's alright. Boys will be boys, right? I'm sure I've seen worse." Harry didn't want this nice lady to see his cupboard. It was embarrassing that he had such a small room compared to everyone else's, which is why he had never told anyone. But Dudley was in his room playing video games and he'd yell at Harry if he went in there and then Uncle Vernon would yell at him when he got home.

"I'd prefer you not talk to him alone." Aunt Petunia said, her voice shaky.

"We can all talk in his room, if you'd prefer." Mr. Morrison suggested, his voice deep and smooth.

"I want you out of my house!" Aunt Petunia suddenly screeched, standing up. "I want you out, now!"

"M'am please - " Ms. Sarah began, but Aunt Petunia was on a roll. "I want you out, right now! I never want you to come back, and I never want to hear about any of this again! Out, now!" Ms. Sarah and Mr. Morrison left quickly, glancing at Harry as they left.

Aunt Petunia stood there, breathing heavily for a moment, before she rounded on Harry. "Who did you talk to?!" She demanded.

"I-i don't know what you're - "

"You complained didn't you? You were being an ungrateful little…" Aunt Petunia took a deep breath. "Listen, boy, Vernon and I sacrifice a lot to have you under our roof. But obviously you don't understand that."

"Aunt Petunia - " Harry began to protest but Aunt Petunia cut him off. "Go to your room and do not come out until tomorrow." Harry stared at her in dismay. Even gardening was better than being locked in the cupboard all day. At least he got some fresh air! But his aunt was not relenting, and so he reluctantly went to his cupboard.

He punched his pillow angrily, and wiped a few tears from his face. Stupid people! He had just gotten out of one punishment and then they had to come and ruin everything! Now he was in trouble again and he'd probably get in worse trouble when Uncle Vernon got home! His stomach growled at him and he hugged himself. "It's not my fault." He whispered sadly to the lollipop stick on his shelf. It did not respond.

**-A Chance Encounter-**

Meanwhile, Alice, Edward and Jasper had been watching from afar. Carlisle had a shift at the hospital today, and the family agreed these three would be the best information collectors when Child Protection Services came to speak to the Dursley's. They were all disgusted by what they had found out, but remained still as the two employees left the house.

"That poor boy." The blonde woman sighed. "It looks like there isn't direct physical abuse, but we definitely have a case of neglect here, at the least." Her partner nodded.

"We'll have to get the police involved." Her partner stated. They were interrupted by the little lady who lives a few doors down.

"Hello! I saw you from my window. May I ask what you're doing?" She asked. Next to Jasper, Edward stiffened.

"What is it?" He hissed. Edward shook his head, staring intently at the scene. Irritated at the lack of information, he turned to his wife, but she was also intensely focused on what was happening, and so Jasper decided he just had to wait and see.

"That's not information we can share with you m'am." The woman said politely.

"Is it about Harry Potter? He comes over sometimes. If you have any questions, I could answer them." The lady offered. The two exchanged glances, and then nodded and followed the woman inside her home.

Jasper wasn't sure what happened, but he felt the shock and surprise radiate off of the two humans, and he heard both Alice and Edward hiss. Jasper tensed himself, ready for a fight if one of them launched themselves forward.

"Don't, Edward!" Alice suddenly said, her voice fearful. The fear in her voice only made Jasper more uneasy. What was she seeing from this old lady that caused her fear? The few minutes that passed by felt like an eternity, and then the two social workers came back out of the house. They seemed confused and headed towards their car while glancing around themselves a few times.

Edward stepped out of his hiding place, ignoring Jasper's hissed questions and hurried forward. Jasper stayed with Alice, his eyes flickering back and forth to try and identify the threat.

"Hello there," Edward said as he intercepted the pair. To an outside he would seem cool as a cucumber, but Jasper could see the underlying tension in his shoulders. "Do you know who Harry Potter is?" Jasper stared at his brother. What kind of question was that? Of course they did! They were just -

"No, never heard of him. Why?" The man responded. Jasper immediately tried to feel for a lie, but the man was totally calm. He still seemed confused, but he had confidence in the statement he had made.

"Just thought you might have seen him around. Thank you." Edward quickly left. The two workers looked at each other, shrugged, and got in there car and drove off.

"What the _hell _is going on?" Jasper demanded as soon as Edward got back, but Edward barely looked at him.

"Yes, we do." He said instead, probably to Alice. Jasper turned to his wife, the same question burning on his lips, but she shook her head.

"Not here. Home. We need to tell everyone." She insisted. _Tell everyone what?! _He thought, but one look at his wife told him he would get no answers here. He sighed and Alice leaned into his arms lovingly for just a moment before pulling away.

Jasper looked back at Privet Drive once more, and then followed his family back home.

**A/N: Thank you so much for reading! What do you think will happen next? Who do you want to see in this story? What do you want to see? Please let me know what you think! **

**-Hatakefire**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you so much for all of the favorites and follows! It makes me so happy that people like this story. Sorry this one is a bit late. The chapter felt slow and therefore my writing was slow, but it will pick up soon! Enjoy!**

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Carlisle was the last of the family to arrive home. He wanted to know what had happened with Harry, but he restrained himself from bursting through the door like a crazy man. Instead he gave his wife a chaste kiss on the lips and a hug, breathing in her scent to chase away the blood and horrors of the hospital. Then he went upstairs to put his bag in his office and take off his tie. Only then did he allow himself to meet his family in the large living area.

Esme had truly gone all out with the living room in this house, and despite there being more than ten people gathered, if they had wanted to sit down everyone would be able to find a spot and not feel claustrophobic. Carlisle sat down on the love seat with Esme. Alice, Jasper and Edward seemed too tense to sit down. Emmet, reading their energy, was also standing, his hand resting on Rosalie's shoulder. Bella, of course, stood with Edward, so the only other people sitting were Renesmee, Jacob, and his pack.

"We got the details from Jacob, so we're all caught up. And we agree that his scent is strange for a human." Leah started the impromptu meeting, hovering as she always did on Jacob's right, the Beta position. She still didn't like how the vampires smelled and preferred to stay away from them if she could help it, but she had grown more comfortable with the Cullens over the past few years. Her younger brother, Seth, was as comfortable as always. Quil and Embry, while at first had taken after Leah, had quickly warmed up to the vampires and were just as at ease as Seth. Carlisle debated on asking when they had gone near enough to Harry to catch his scent but decided it wasn't useful for the discussion. The point was that something was special about Harry, and now they were here to find out what, and how the afternoon with the Child Protection Services went.

"I have never smelled anything like it. However it did take concentration to pick out that specific scent among the other humans, and so it is possible I have walked by similar people and just never noticed," Carlisle explained.

"Oh, there are others." Edward said.

"Others?" Bella asked him.

"Yes. We were there watching Harry, as you all know, to see how the appointment with the CPS went and it did not go well." Edward said.

"Is Harry okay?" Esme asked worriedly. Carlisle felt affection for his wife spread through his body. She had yet to meet the boy but she was already concerned for his safety.

"He's fine. For now. We couldn't see what was happening but...it was _weird." _If the situation hadn't become so serious Carlisle would have been seriously amused to hear Edward use a word like weird in a room full of vampires, shape-shifting werewolves, and his half immortal daughter. But as Edward explained what he and Alice could make out of the scene that had played out, Carlisle understood the use of the word.

Apparently after Petunia Dursley had kicked them out, the CPS employees had been brought into Arabella Figg's house. She had left them in the living room, where they sat discussing the questions they wanted to ask her about Harry. She went into the kitchen, opened a drawer, and pulled out a crystal. She tapped it three times and said a strange word in Latin. A few seconds later, a strange man in long robes, half-moon spectacles, and a truly magnificent beard appeared with a sharp crack. His name was Albus Dumbledore, and he was a wizard.

There were immediate outcries at this, but as Edward was not known for pulling practical jokes, the group settled down to hear the rest of the story. Edward said Arabella told Dumbledore about CPS arriving. He inquired as to who placed the call, but she did not know. Then he asked about Harry, and she assured him he was still safe. Then he drew a long stick out of his pocket and advanced into the living room.

"I could feel him reading their minds. They weren't entirely aware of what was going on, but I've read enough minds to know what he was doing."

"And what was he thinking?" Jasper asked.

"That's just it. It was shielded. I couldn't read his mind." Gasps echoed around the room.

"Like me?" Bella asked.

"No, it felt different. Like….like your's is a bubble that can spread and stretch, and his is a wall." Edward explained.

"I also couldn't see his future clearly." Alice added. "It was sort of like looking at Renesmee's future. It's all clouded and gives me a headache, but I got glimpses. They were...strange."

"What did he want?" Carlisle asked.

"He wanted to know who called CPS. Luckily, they didn't have that information, and CPS doesn't because you gave them an anonymous tip. That's probably the only reason he isn't here right now." Edward answered.

"Then what happened?" Jacob asked impatiently.

"Well, he….he wiped their minds of ever hearing about Harry Potter. And I bet he went and did it to the agency as well." Edward said.

"He what?!" Was the general response.

"So that's why you did that." At everyone's look of confusion, Jasper elaborated. "He went up to them after they left Arabella's house and asked who Harry Potter was. They had no idea who he was talking about."

"That's it. We're not touching this with a ten foot pole. Or any pole. A guy who can erase minds?" Leah snapped.

"But what about Harry?" Esme asked worriedly.

"Esme, I hate this as much as you do. But our family comes first. We have no defense against this. This could not only risk exposure, but our lives." Rosalie argued.

"What if we did?" Bella asked quietly. All heads turned towards her. If she was still human she would have blushed pink, but she continued. "We know my shield protects against mental attacks, and Edward said this is a kind of mental attack."

"Vampiric mental attacks, love." Edward corrected gently. "We have no way of knowing...no SAFE way of knowing," He corrected after seeing his wife's face, "if that would work."

"Harry is being hurt and there are people preventing us from helping him!" Bella snapped. "Surely we should at least try?" The Cullens and the pack began clamoring. Most people wanted to drop the whole thing entirely. They had gone to CPS and it hadn't worked out. Seth, Esme, Renesmee and Bella were all for just taking him away and dealing with the consequences after. Edward, Jacob and Jasper were completely against it. Rosalie wanted to find some other way to help Harry, maybe from the shadows. Emmett suggested just blackmailing the Dursley's into giving Harry a better life. Alice and Carlisle were sort of in the middle, trying to come up with the best solution.

"This is possibly a whole other world we are reaching." Carlisle cautioned. "I want to help Harry as much as anyone, but this is uncharted territory we are walking in to."

"Which is why we shouldn't even walk into it!" Jasper snapped. His frustration suddenly filled the room and the tension rose exponentially before he squashed it down forcefully.

"We have someone else to consider. The Volturi." Alice pointed out. She continued over the sound of the Packs growls. "If we do see them again, and they see our thoughts, they'll know what we know about this world. And what do you think Aro will do?"

"He'll find the nearest wizard he can and turn him." Edward predicted.

"And then we might have a full-scale war on our hands." Carlisle said darkly. The room was quiet.

"If Carlisle hadn't wanted us to investigate in the first place - "Rosalie started with a hiss, but Emmett cut her off. "Babe, he smelled Harry. That would have been enough for Aro to send people to investigate anyway. It's no one's fault." Rosalie huffed and crossed her arms.

"Well, I don't know about anyone else but the Volturi aren't exactly a welcoming committee I'd like to send to these wizards." Seth pointed out.

"What would we even say? 'Hey we discovered you guys and also there's a vampire high council who will want to control and kill you guys and also I'm a werewolf?" Jacob asked sarcastically.

"Eloquent as always." Edward muttered.

"We also have Harry's safety to consider. Why is he with his family? Why won't they give him a better home?" Esme added.

"It's possible they know about wizards and that is why he is placed with them." Carlisle reasoned.

"But aren't there any other families he could be put with?" Bella protested.

"Wizarding tradition?" Emmett suggested.

"No. There was something….off about the whole situation." Edward frowned. "Whoever Harry is, he is special. Arabella knew that much."

"Too many questions, not enough answers." Alice sighed.

"We need a solution that prevents a war between these wizards and us without exposing us or hurting anyone."

"We need to test if my shield works." Bella suggested.

"I am not risking your mind being wiped, or possibly used against the rest of the family." At the mention of the risk to the whole family, Bella quieted.

"We need information." Jasper said. "But we have no way of getting it!"

"Yes we do." Carlisle said slowly. He looked over at Edward, who was picking up his line of thinking.

"There's no way she would tell us anything. You saw her." Edward snorted.

"Petunia?" Esme asked, reading his mind almost as well as Edward.

"Yes, Petunia." Carlisle said. "She and her husband obviously know Harry is a wizard, or suspect it. Otherwise, why would they take care of him and not just drop him off at some orphanage?"

"Maybe she doesn't know why she does it and this Dumbledore is influencing them somehow." Jacob suggested.

"Again, we don't know." Jasper said, irritated.

"Then we have to ask." Carlisle pointed out.

"Wait, so we're really going over to these bastard people's house and just talking?" Jacob asked incredulously. Edward shook his head. "Once again, your joke plan somehow ends up being the best one."

"Hey, he's a lot smarter than he looks." Renesmee spoke up teasingly.

"Hey, I look smart!" Jacob protested.

"Do we agree to talk to the Dursley's and get as much information as we can?" Carlisle asked the group. No one looked particularly happy with the solution, but no one could come up with a better idea, and moved on to planning what to say and possible responses to what they hear. It was well past dark before they concluded the conversation. It was decided that while Harry and Dudley were at school and Vernon was at work, Carlisle, Edward and Bella would visit the Dursleys. Leah argued for a while that someone from the pack should go, but there was the concern that if there was a mind altering wizard that could get past Bella's shield out there, one pack member being affected may affect them all. Leah acquiesced with some grumbling, and the pack went back to their dorms. The Cullens went their separate ways and quietly waited for the school day to start. Alice left with a teasing comment to take notes for Bella, as this was technically her first time in college and would need the help. Alice's good mood lightened the tension considerably, as she would have seen if something disastrous happening. Still, the future wasn't set, and Carlisle could see concern in his wife's eyes.

"Be careful." Esme said worriedly, straightening his tie.

"I've faced down far worse foes than Petunia Dursley." Carlisle assured her. Esme gave him a 'Look' and Carlisle chuckled softly. He grasped her hands in his and planted a light kiss on them. "I'll be careful." He promised, and he felt her relax slightly.

He walked to his car where Bella and Edward were waiting for him.

"Ready?" He asked them. The couple nodded, and together they drove to Number Four, Privet Drive.

**A/N: Bit of a cliffhanger. How do you think this confrontation will go? Will Albus find out? Poll on my bio on what House Carlisle belongs in! (Literally haven't edited by bio since I was like 12 don't just me lol)**

**Please review to let me know what you think!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thank you so much for the favorites and follows! What do you guys want? Who do you want to see? This story is for you guys, so please let me know what you like and what you don't like! **

**Special shout-out to lunaz, who was the only person to review last chapter and also has reviewed every chapter so far. Thanks, you keep me going! 3 **

**CHAPTER FIVE**

Petunia Dursley was startled when she heard a knock at her door. Expecting some salesperson, she was surprised to see three of the most beautiful people she had ever seen. It was like three super models had decided to pay a visit to her house.

"Mrs. Dursley. I am Dr. Carlisle Cullen, and this is my son Edward and his wife Bella. May we come in?" His voice was so pleasant and charming that she invited them in and offered them tea (which was politely declined) before she stopped to wonder how they knew her name.

"How may I help you?" She asked, completely at a loss as to why these three people would visit her.

"We're here to speak to you about Harry." Petunia immediately stiffened. _Of course it's that little freak. I never get anything good in life because of him. _She missed the bronze-haired one tensing slightly as she replied, "Has he done something to get in trouble? We do try our best, you know, but he's a particularly disturbed child." _That should drive them off. _She thought with satisfaction.

"Actually, we want to ask you if you know he's a wizard, and if you do, how much you know about his world." Carlisle asked bluntly. Petunia stared at him for a few seconds, before shakily saying, "I don't know who you are or what you want, but I want you out of my house, now!" She started to rise, but Edward's hand was suddenly on her shoulder.

"I think you should sit down." Edward said. His voice was nothing but pleasant, but some instinct inside of Petunia told her to run and hide and never look his way again. She hadn't even seen him move. Was he one of them? She began to shake.

"Edward." Carlisle said in a warning tone. "We're here to talk, not threaten." The hand on her shoulder tightened slightly, before he reluctantly moved away. Petunia let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding as Carlisle spoke again. "We are...different, as you can tell. We noticed Harry showing magic and having never encountered anything like it before, we've come to talk to you about it."

Petunia swallowed thickly, glancing nervously at Edward. "There's...there's a Statue of Secrecy. I'm not supposed to tell you anything. They'll...they'll come for you." She added, hoping this would warn them off. She wasn't sure exactly what she was talking about, but she did remember the letter from Dumbledore saying she couldn't attend because she was a muggle, and the witch who visited them warning them of the secrecy. She heard Edward mumble something quickly under his breath, and Bella and Carlisle both shifted slightly.

"We already know about magic, so there's no need for secrecy, right? We just want the details." Bella's eyes were warm and her voice was musical. Immediately Petunia felt herself relax. At least Edward's wife seemed reasonable and less threatening than her husband.

"I….suppose." She said hesitantly. "I don't know much. I'm not magical myself." She said with a hint of bitterness. "My sister and her husband got themselves blown up and so we got stuck with their son. They're both magic and so of course we knew he'd be magic as well." Petunia was on a roll, the relief of finally being able to speak about the injustices of the whole event and the calmness she felt around Carlisle and Bella loosening her tongue. "He was dropped off on our doorstep in the middle of the night in November when he was a little over a year old. He had a letter from Dumbledore, that's the person in charge of the magic school, stating that he was in grave danger from an evil dark wizard who killed my sister and somehow him being with his blood relatives would make him safe. We never asked for him. My sister and I hadn't spoken in a year. I want nothing to do with their world and he is a constant reminder of that." Petunia finished with a hiss. _It helps that Dumbledore sends us money from their vault. Leave it to Lily to marry rich. With all the trouble that boy causes us it's the least he can do to provide for Dudley. _

They asked her more questions. They asked her about the letter, which she got and gave to them. They asked her about Mrs. Figg for some reason. Edward in particular seemed to be reading her mind, picking out little hints she left and reading between lines. When they were done, Petunia was felt like a wrung out towel. She'd told them about Azkaban, where the Leaky Cauldron was, the names of Harry's parents, everything she knew about Dumbledore and Hogwarts. She told them she knew magic could make things fly, could teleport, could change the colors of things, and a few other bits and pieces Lily mentioned. She told them that there was a wizard bank after a pointed question about money (how Edward knew they were getting money from Dumbledore she had no idea).

Carlisle and Edward seemed to share a conversation with just a look, and then Carlisle turned towards her.

"These…"Blood Wards" that Dumbledore mentioned. Does Harry have to be here all the time? He leaves for school, doesn't he?" Carlisle asked.

"I don't know. He has to be here...annually, I believe. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to send him to boarding school when he's older. Or that _other _school." Petunia reasoned. _Why won't they just leave? _She thought. At first it had been a relief to rant about the unfairness of it all, but after all of those questions Petunia regretted opening her mouth. A few times she had tried to stop, but each time she did they had slowly teased out more information out of her.

They shared another silent look, then seemed to come to an agreement.

"Alright. Then we have a proposal. We take Harry from you, and he only has to be here for a month in the summer. You spread the word that he's been accepted to a special school and we have a few visits throughout the year and during the holiday as well to keep neighbors from being suspicious."

"W-what?" Petunia stuttered. "You...you want him? Why?"

"You don't want him. Why do you care?" Edward pointed out.

"But...what if you hurt him?" Petunia asked. _Dumbledore would kill us _she thought, inwardly shivering.

"We wouldn't be able to get through those wards if we intended to hurt Harry, right?" Carlisle pointed out mildly.

"We would never hurt Harry anyway. We want to help him." Bella added. Petunia was pretty sure her brain was short circuiting as she stared at the Cullens.

"And it's not about the money either. You can keep that." Edward added contemptuously.

"Why don't you discuss this with your family," Carlisle suggested. "I'll give you my number, and you can call me within the week to let me know what your answer is."

"O-okay…" Petunia managed.

"Good day, Mrs. Dursley." Then they left so quickly that there was only a breeze to indicate that hadn't just completely disappeared behind them and a business card with Carlisle's cell number on it. Petunia shakily picked up the card and then made the impromptu decision that noon was a perfect time for a glass of wine.

-ACE-

"I can't believe you just offered to adopt him." Jasper muttered with disgust.

"You did say we need an ally in the wizarding world. Harry can be that ally." Carlisle reminded him. "And with the visits to the Dursley's and Petunia telling everyone Harry will be in a special school, we should be able to avoid suspicion from the wizarding world. We can also test Bella's shield when he gets older. This seems to be the best solution, unless you have another one."

"And he shouldn't be left with those terrible people. It's the right thing to do." Bella stressed. Jasper huffed, crossing his arms.

"Oh we'll need to build a room for him. Maybe he could have Alice's room?" Esme fretted.

"Why does he get my room?" Alice complained.

"Alice your closet is bigger than anyone else's room. We can just move your vanity in there." Bella deadpanned.

"Aww, poor Alice can't have a fake room to fake sleep in." Emmet teased. Alice mock-growled at him and Emmet very maturely stuck out his tongue at her.

"Now, now children, be nice." Rosalie chided.

"There is also the matter of Harry discovering who we are. As he is supposed to be our ally, and we will be raising him, I think we should tell him the gist of what is going in." Carlisle held up his hand to stall Jasper's outcry. "He's a smart boy, and I don't want to fake being human until he moves out, and I don't think you do either. I'm not saying let's get into all of the details, but I want this to be his decision too."

"We don't even know if they'll say yes!" Jasper argued, only to be interrupted by Carlisle's phone ringing.

"That is like, epic timing." Seth, who was there on the pack's behalf, commented. Bella and Emmett snickered at Seth's comment as Carlisle answered the phone.

"This is Dr. Cullen."

"Dr. Cullen? This is Petunia Dursley. Are...are you sure this will work?" Her voice floated quietly from the phone.

"Yes, I am." He answered confidently, even though he wasn't entirely sure it would. She didn't need to know that.

"Then….okay. When can you pick him up?"

-ACE-

That night, Carlisle and Esme laid in bed. They didn't need to sleep, of course, but it was nice to just hold his wife in his arms and breathe in her scent.

"We're doing the right thing, aren't we?" Carlisle asked. He acted confident, and he knew they were saving a little boy from being abused, but he hated that he was once again putting his family in danger.

"Yes, we are." Esme told him.

"How can you be so confident?" Carlisle asked. Esme twisted to look at him, smiling softly.

"Oh, Carlisle. You're overthinking this." She chided gently.

"But this could go terribly wrong. What if the scent of his magic isn't enough to mask the blood and one of us hurts him? What if we mess him up? We've never raised an actual child. What if - " Esme pressed a finger to his lips. "Overthinking!" She sing-songed.

Carlisle chuckled and buried his face in her hair.

"You're right. This is the best way." He agreed, settling down.

"You know….he's young enough, he might end up calling you dad." Esme suggested. Carlisle lifted his head to stare at her in shock. Esme giggled at the expression on his face.

"You'll make a great father." Esme assured him.

"Only if Harry agrees." Carlisle reminded her.

"He will." Esme whispered, kissing him on his forehead. "I love you, Carlisle."

"Always, my Esme." He murmured, and clutched her tighter.

**Some fluff at the end. What did you think? The story will pick up a bit more soon. I know there's a lot of talking and discussing, but I want to make sure this part is done right so there's a good foundation for the rest of the story.**

**Please, please review! This story is for you guys and if I don't think anyone is enjoying it, there's not really any point in posting. What do you guys want to see? This story is written every week so if you want a character to be important or any plot ideas, I may include them! Thanks for reading.**

**-Hatakefire**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews! I'm so so so so happy people are actually reading this story. I got a couple of good ideas as well. Thank you! Shoutout to pottersparky for the longest review yet (and yes, it did make me smile!)**

**CHAPTER SIX**

Carlisle waited in his car at a small cafe near Privet Drive Saturday morning, a few weeks after his call with Petunia. It was the first weekend of summer so the boys would be out of school and make the transition easier on Harry. Esme, Alice, Rosalie and Bella were all at home making last minute touches to Harry's room. They planned to let Harry pick out his sheets, colors, a few toys and books and so he wasn't sure exactly what they could be doing, but he had learned a long time ago not to question Alice when she ropes people into doing things. Emmet, Edward and Jasper were near the cafe, waiting in the background to make sure nothing happened to him. The pack and Renesmee were spending the day celebrating the end of the school year at a nearby lake, and would be there all weekend. They didn't want to overwhelm Harry, after all.

Carlisle still wasn't entirely sure this was happening. They had gone back and forth through Petunia a few times to set all the details, and finally they were meeting to give Harry to the Cullens. They were adopting a human - a _wizard _boy into their family. It was insane. And yet, as he saw the Dursley's pull into a spot near him, something inside of him knew this was the right thing to do. Maybe he did have a power as Bella said, but either way Carlisle knew great things would come from this.

He got out of his car to greet the Dursley's and was surprised to find just Vernon there. He bustled Harry out of the car and slammed the door behind him, causing Harry to jump slightly.

"Hello Vernon," Carlisle said pleasantly, quenching the venom that burned in his mouth when he saw Harry and Vernon's interactions with practice ease.

"Here's the boy. Rumor is all set and people think he's going to a summer camp to prep for a school for special people." Vernon said this with a sneer. He then turned to Harry, raising a fist warningly.

"You better not mess this up boy. I don't want you back in my house." Vernon said gruffly.

"Yes, Uncle Vernon." Harry muttered.

"Does he have any bags?" Carlisle asked just before Vernon got in the car.

"He's yours now. You can buy him things." Was the reply, then Vernon got in the car and drove off. Carlisle resisted the urge to say things that shouldn't be said around a child, and squatted down to be eye to eye with Harry.

"Hello Harry. Do you remember me?"

"Yes sir. You're Mr. Cullen. You bandaged my knee." Harry said quietly, not quite meeting his eyes.

"Did the Dursley's tell you what's going on?" Carlisle asked. He didn't put it past them to just load Harry in a car and dump him without telling him why.

"They….they said I was going to live with you now." Harry said. He peered up at Carlisle through the fringe covering the scar on his forehead, his green eyes so full of childish hope that Carlisle's heart first.

"That's right. There's some things you need to know before you come live with us." This was going to be the hard part. "Have you eaten yet?" Harry shook his head and so Carlisle led them into the cafe.

"Um, Mr. Cullen, I don't have any money or anything." Harry admitted with a quiet whisper. Carlisle gave him a warm smile.

"Harry, you're just a child. I don't expect you to have money. I'll pay for both of us." Carlisle was amused to see a glint of anger in Harry's eyes when he said 'just a child'. Obviously the boy was used to fending for himself, something Carlisle hoped he would grow out of in the right environment.

"You don't have to do that." Harry protested.

"But I want to." And that simple sentence surprised Harry so much he was silent until the waiter asked for their drinks. Carlisle ordered a black coffee to keep up appearances and encouraged Harry to get whatever he wanted. The waitress, like most humans, was extremely flustered at Carlisle's presence and hurried away to get their drinks after batting her eyes.

"So, Harry. There's two very important things that I need to tell you before you come live with me. Can you sit and listen quietly until I'm done? It'll be a lot of information so you can ask questions once I'm finished." Carlisle told him. Harry nodded uncertainly. _Here goes. _

"You're a wizard Harry." Carlisle said. Harry opened his mouth but immediately snapped it shut, remember Carlisle's words. "When I found you on the roof, it wasn't the wind that lifted you. You teleported up there. I was curious and decided to investigate. I'm the one who called Child Protection Services to try to help you, and when that didn't work, I spoke to your Aunt and Uncle. They told me you were magical and about the world you came from - the world your parents came from."

"My parents?" Harry couldn't help but breathe.

"Yes, Harry. In the Wizarding World, there was a war. Your parents fought in it, and the tyrant discovered where they were hiding and tried to kill them. Your mother died to protect you Harry, and in doing so when that tyrant tried to kill you, his spell backfired somehow, resulting in your scar." Harry gently touched his forehead.

"My mother died for me? They….they weren't drunks?" Harry whispered. Carlisle nodded gently. "They were heroes."

"Then...then why? Aunt Petunia and...and Uncle Vernon. Why did they lie to me? Why...why didn't they tell me? Why did they - " Harry's voice broke off as a few tears spilled down his cheeks. He looked so angry and lost Carlisle was hit with the instinct to hug him and hold him close, but restrained himself.

"I don't know, Harry. I think your Aunt was jealous of your sister. The protection your sister gave you also covered the house of your blood relatives."

"Aunt Petunia. I had to stay with her because...she protected me?" Harry asked.

"Not exactly. Her blood is what allowed your magic to protect you and the Dursley's."

"Will they be hurt now that I'm living with you?" Harry asked worriedly. Carlisle was surprised by the question, but also pleased that Harry could still be compassionate despite the ways the Dursley's had treated him.

"You will have to visit every once in awhile to make sure the wards stay in place. And there's one more thing about the Wizarding World. Someone in power there wants you to stay with the Dursley's, which is why Child Protection Services couldn't help you."

"Were those the people in suits?" Harry asked. "They got me in trouble!"

Carlisle shook his head. "They were trying to help, Harry. But someone erased their memories to try to keep you at the Dursley's."

"Are they going to erase your memories?!" Harry demanded anxiously.

"I don't think so. That's why we're going to keep visiting the Dursley's. Everyone back at Privet Drive thinks you're going to a special school that goes almost year round." Carlisle explained. Harry was silent for a few moments, and then finally asked, "Why?"

"Why what, Harry?" Carlisle asked, bemused.

"Why, why did you go to so much trouble? Just for me?" Harry asked quietly.

"Well, I'll be honest with you Harry. One of the reasons is that if my family is becoming entangled with the Wizarding World, it would be nice to have a wizard on our side." Carlisle knew eventually Harry would find out or work this out for himself, and he didn't want any resentment to come from it. (He wasn't looking forward to Harry teenage years. Who knows what trying to raise a pubescent wizard will entail).

"But the main reason is that the Dursley's aren't treating you well. Parents aren't supposed to hurt their children. They're supposed to encourage them and help them grow. You've seen it, haven't you? From other parents and their children?" Harry nodded hesitantly. "That's how you should be treated, and that's how you'll be treated, if you join us."

"If?" Harry asked, once again surprising Carlisle with his shrewdness.

"It's your choice Harry. If you want to go back to the Dursley's you can." Carlisle held his hand up to stop Harry's enthusiastic reply.

"There is one more thing you need to know before you agree, and it will be more difficult than anything else you have heard." Carlisle said seriously. Harry nodded.

"I'm a vampire, and so is my family. And we also are friends with a pack of shapeshifting wolves." He said bluntly. Harry blinked owlishly at him, and then said something that was such a little boy thing it made Carlisle laugh. "Is that why you're so pretty?"

"Yes, Harry, it's why I'm so pretty." Carlisle chuckled and Harry blushed pink.

"My family is different because we do not drink human blood. We are...vegetarians, if you will. We only drink the blood of animals. Luckily, as a wizard, you smell strange, and so you wouldn't be in danger in our house. However, it's very important you do your best not to get cuts, especially around Jasper. He's the newest to our diet and will have the most difficult time being around you." Harry seemed at loss for words, which was understandable.

"Here's your food!" The waitress appeared, carrying a large waffle with a smiley face on his and a small container of syrup.

"Sure I can't get anything for you love?" She asked Carlisle, who declined politely.

She moved away, and Harry hesitantly asked a question. "Are...are you going to bite me?" He whispered. Carlisle chuckled. "No, Harry, no one will bite you. I am the patriarch of my family, and I only changed them when they would have died otherwise."

"How old are you?" Harry asked immediately.

"I don't know my exact age, to be honest, but I was born sometime in the 1600s." Carlisle answered, enjoying Harry's wide-eyed stare. It was nice that Harry didn't seem to be scared of him at all, but he also knew Harry really should be and obviously didn't get the "stranger danger" lesson while living with the Dursley's, or anything similar.

"Is there anything else you can do? Besides eat people?" Harry seemed to realize what he said and clamped his hands over his mouth, mumbling sorry.

"It's okay Harry. In my house, we encourage learning and questions." Carlisle assured him. "May I have your fork and knife?" Harry handed them over, his eyes watching him curiously. Carlisle glanced around to make sure no one was watching, and a split second later he had spread butter over his waffles and cut the whole thing into pieces.

"Woah! You're fast!" Harry said, eagerly taking back his utensils.

"And strong." Carlisle added. "How strong?" Harry asked.

"Very." Carlisle said, amused as Harry looked slightly put out by his answer. "Aren't you going to eat your waffle?" Harry looked startled. "I was waiting for permission, um, sir," Harry added, as though suddenly remembering manners.

"You don't have to call me sir, Harry. Especially if I'll be taking care of you. Do you still want that?" Carlisle asked. Harry nodded happily. "Yes please!" Carlisle let out a mental sigh of relief. He supposed it was a bit unfair for Harry, as a boy of almost seven years old to understand the dangers he might be agreeing to, but he had tried to tell him everything he thought he deserved to know.

"Then I would prefer if you called me Carlisle, and if you feel comfortable you may also address me as father. My other adopted children simply call me Carlisle," He continued, speaking quickly over the awkwardness of his request, "but they are much older than you. I know for a fact Alice is thrilled to be consider an Aunt, and probably already has dozens of bonding activities planned out."

"Alice?" Harry asked. Carlisle knew that the word 'Aunt' might have some negative connotations for him, and so Carlisle spent the rest of brunch describing Harry's future family and regaling him with a few funny stories and gently coaxing him to eat his waffle. Carlisle planned to take Harry grocery shopping to try to pick out a balanced diet that Harry would enjoy. He was well under a healthy weight for his age, and Carlisle intended to fix that. Plus, Esme was thrilled to use the kitchen and actually have a family to sit down and have dinner with (it would just be Harry eating really, but he wasn't going to put a damper on his wife's enthusiasm). He would also have to take Harry to the dentist and the optometrist, as he doubted Harry's prescription was correct, but that would be for later. For now, Harry could just enjoy his sugary waffle and learn about his new family, and Carlisle was only too happy to oblige.

**Sorry for all of the talking in this chapter. I hope I made it interesting. It was important, and next chapter will be more fun with Harry meeting the rest of the Cullens and shopping! **

**I'm thinking of doing a chapter that just goes through Harry's years with the Cullens, like a few stories, and then the chapter after that being right before Hogwarts. Does that sound good or would you rather me just skip that or do it a different way? Let me know, and thank you for reading!**

**-Hatakefire**


	7. Chapter 7

**Wow! More great responses for this last chapter! Seriously, you guys make my day and make me excited to write this story. **

**Special shoutout to LordXaero for some really great suggestions that got me thinking. I do read all of your reviews and they make me smile. Please enjoy this chapter - it's for you! (Yes you, you individual reading this story. 3)**

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

Harry had had a whirlwind of a day, and it wasn't even noon yet. He had woken up to the usual pounding on his cupboard, but had been told to meet his Uncle in the kitchen. Confused but obedient, he raked his hands through his hair, put on one of Dudley's over-sized shirts and left his cupboard.

"You know we have been telling people you're going to a special school?" Vernon demanded. Harry nodded quickly. He hadn't heard anything about a new school, but his Aunt had told him to act excited about it. Ms. Figg had been the only one kind enough to ask, and he had acted enthusiastic as asked, and she had given him a pat on the head and offered him a stale biscuit. He didn't even have to act that much, because it was a boarding school and he would be away from the Dursley's.

"Well, you're not going." Before Harry could even be disappointed, Vernon continued "That weird Dr. Cullen chap wants to adopt you." Harry was stunned. It couldn't be true. Harry's dreams never came true. Was he going crazy? Had he heard his Uncle right? Vernon seemed to not notice Harry's inner thoughts or care, because he continued "You'll have to visit every once in awhile to keep people thinking you're away at school. But you listen here boy - " Uncle Vernon leaned in menacingly. "If you get _sent _back because they figure out you're too freakish for them, there will be consequences. _Understand?" _

Harry nodded so quickly he thought his head would pop off. "Yes, Uncle Vernon!"

"Good. We leave in five minutes." Recognizing that for the dismissal it was, Harry ran to his closet. He didn't have anything to carry his clothes in, and so he ended up just shoving his lost chess pieces in his pockets. He hesitated about bringing the stick with him, but decided against him. He didn't want Mr. Cullen to think he was weird, or he would send him back here and Uncle Vernon would be really mad. His glasses were already on his face and the only thing left was the stick and his blankets. Shrugging, Harry left and closed the door behind him.

"Ready?" Vernon barked.

"Yes, sir." Harry said. He hadn't gotten breakfast today, but that was alright. He got to see Mr. Cullen again!

Then he had met with Mr. Cullen. He was the kindest and most considerate person he had ever met. Harry hoped that one day, he could be as cool as Mr. Cullen was.

And he was adopting him! And he was magic! And Mr. - _Carlisle _was a vampire! Part of him wanted to deny everything he had heard, and he was just having a very odd dream. But somewhere in his heart, he knew what Mr. Cul - Carlisle had said was true. He thought he might explode with happiness, and he swore to himself he would do everything he could not to mess this up.

"We're almost there Harry. Are you doing okay?"

"Yes Mr. - Carlisle." Harry corrected himself quickly. And Carlisle was so thoughtful! Feeding Harry, making sure he was okay. _Is this what having parents would have been like? _Harry thought. The thought of his parents, who he now knew were heroes, occupied his thoughts until they finished following the long winding driveway to the house.

"We're here!" Carlisle's announcement startled him out of his sad and lonely thoughts, and as he got out of the car and looked at the house, his mouth fell open.

He knew doctors made money, but Mr. Cull - Carlisle must be _rich. If the Dursley's knew they would never let me stay here. _Harry thought. The house was ginormous (He had just learned that word before break let out. He could spell it, and Dudley couldn't. Ha). It was pretty too, with a little garden out front and large windows that let in a lot of natural light. He could see a piano, where a young man seemed to be teaching a young woman how to play.

Another young woman, closer to Carlisle's age, met them on the porch.

"You must be Harry. I've heard so much about you. My name is Esme, I'm Carlisle's wife." _I thought Carlisle was pretty_. Harry thought.

This woman - Esme - had soft, caramel colored hair that framed a heart shaped face. Her features were soft and her golden eyes were warm and inviting. She was definitely the prettiest woman Harry had ever seen.

"Um, yes m'am." Harry stuttered.

"You can just call me Esme, alright?" Esme asked, kneeling down to meet his eyes.

"Okay… Esme." Harry agreed. A second later, he was pulled into a hug. Her arms were strong and sure around him. His face was pressed against her shoulder and he could smell a nice, fruity scent that he couldn't exactly place. It felt...warm. It felt nice. Shakily, Harry reached up, scared to be scolded for doing the wrong thing, and hesitantly put his arms around her. Esme squeezed tighter for a moment and then pulled away. Harry felt like the moment lasted far too long and ended way too quickly, and though he didn't know it now he would remember his first hug from Esme for the rest of his life.

"Well, would you like anything to eat?" Harry shot a panicked look at Carlisle, who gave him a reassuring smile.

"He just had brunch. They hadn't fed him yet." Carlisle explained.

"I'm sorry - " Harry began, feeling as though he had done something wrong. He was immediately brushed off. "No worries Harry! We'll just make sure you get a nice healthy snack before dinner."

"Um, thank you, but really it's okay. I'm used to not eating much so you don't need to go out of your way to make me extra food. M-Carlisle told me you don't eat." Harry knew Dudley received a large quantity of snacks throughout the day. But Harry never received snacks, and he wanted to quickly establish that he wouldn't be any more of a burden than he had to be.

Harry thought he heard something crunch from near the piano, but was distracted by Esme.

"Harry, we only have one person to feed, and it's you. Let us do a good job of it, okay?" Esme asked gently. "I always wanted to cook for a large family, but no one here eats besides the Pack and that's more like feeding a literal pack of wolves, so really you'll be doing me a favor if you let me make food for you."

_I guess that makes sense..._Harry thought. "Thank you." He decided to say nervously, and was rewarded with a bright smile.

"Now that that's out of the way - " A bright, musical voice echoed from the stairs and a young woman who reminded Harry of a sprite practically bounced down the stairs. "My name is Alice. I'm going to be your favorite Aunt and we're going to spend a lot of time together and first we're going to go shopping so let's go!" Alice was in front of Harry for about a second and then she started heading towards the door.

"Shouldn't he at least see his room first?" A slightly lower and smoother voice followed, and yet another gorgeous woman followed her. She had long, flowing blonde hair and the same golden eyes as everyone else.

Alice made a whining noise before suddenly she was in front of Harry again.

"Alice, calm down you're freaking him out." A deeper baritone voice came from the piano. He also had golden eyes but his hairs was a strange bronze color. Beside him was a girl who had, curiously, a pair of brown eyes. She must be Renesmee, which made the man beside her Edward, if he remembered what Carlisle told him about his family correctly.

He didn't notice the appraising look Edward gave him as Alice turned around, arms slightly extended to her sides.

"Don't worry, he'll love this." Alice assured him. "Ever have a piggyback ride, Harry?" The blonde woman groaned and Renesmee laughed.

"Go on," Carlisle encouraged. Feeling extremely awkward and unbalanced, Harry climbed onto her back as he had seen other kids do with their parents. No sooner had his foot slotted between her arms that he was suddenly _whooshing _up the stairs. Harry let out a startled laugh. Even though it only lasted a moment, Harry relished the feeling of his hair being blown back, wind pressing against his face and drawing a few tears from his eyes.

Harry learned that he liked going fast. He liked going fast _very much. _

He was disappointed when they stopped in front of a closed door, and reluctantly got off Alice's back. She immediately reached out her hand, and Harry hesitantly took it. He had been shown more affection today than he had been shown in his whole life, and he didn't know how to feel about it. One part of him absolutely loved it, a childish part of him that desperately craved attention and love. Another part of him recoiled, worried that it would be snatched from him like every other good thing in his life.

"This is your room Harry." Alice told him. "And my room is right next to yours so if you ever need anything just walk right over and knock. I don't sleep so you won't be disturbing me, okay?"

"And if she freaks you out too much my room is across the hall so you can ask me anything to. I'm Rosalie, by the way." Rosalie added. She had followed them upstairs.

"I don't freak anyone out!" Alice argued.

"She doesn't freak me out." Harry said quietly. They didn't seem to be using the word freak like the Dursley's did, but it made him uncomfortable. Alice was...well, a bit weird, and too enthusiastic, but she was happy and nice and he didn't want Rosalie to be mean to her.

They were both silent for a second, and Harry began to panic, thinking he had said something wrong when Alice spoke up. "Ha, he showed you!" Rosalie rolled her eyes, then turned to Harry. Just like Esme and Carlisle, she got down to Harry's level when she spoke to him.

"Harry, you've just been adopted into a family of vampires and werewolves and you're a wizard. We're all sort of freaky. But you want to know a secret?" Rosalie leaned in to whisper in his ear. "It's people like Dursley's who are normal. So we freaks are pretty cool, right?" Harry blinked. He had never thought of it that way. Everyone seemed to like the Dursley's and listen o what they had to say...but he didn't want to be like them.

"I guess so." He said uncertainly. He knew being a freak was bad, but he never knew how not to be a freak. He always thought that meant he was bad, but the Cullens were saying it like it was a good thing. It was confusing.

Rosalie ruffled his hair affectionately, surprising him. "You'll figure it out. Now let's see your room." Alice eagerly opened the door and ushered Harry inside.

The room was the size of Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon's bedroom. There was a large window on the right side, and a twin bed pushed in the left corner. There was a nightstand next to the bed, a large shelf, an even large dresser and what looked like a built in bookshelf on the other wall.

"Wow. This...this is mine?" Harry asked in amazement.

"It's all yours." Harry jumped. He had been focusing so much on the room he didn't notice there was someone inside. She had long brown wavy hair and golden eyes and was just a beautiful as all the other women he had met.

"I'm Bella, by the way. Edward's husband. This is just the basic furniture, and we can get more when we go shopping."

"There's...there's more?" Harry felt slightly light-headed. "But...really, this is okay. You don't have to - " A cold hand wrapped around his mouth.

"Thank you Aunt Alice I want a lot of things and also you can choose my wardrobe for all time."

"Alice!" Bella said exasperation. Harry couldn't help himself and giggled. They were so _weird. _But they were so nice and wanted to buy him things and he wanted to enjoy every bit of this while it lasted.

"Thank you Aunt Alice." He repeated, and was rewarded once again with a brilliant smile. He had never made the Dursley's smiled, and he found he quite enjoyed that too.

Alice turned for a piggyback ride, and this time Harry hopped on happily. Maybe this was all too good to be true, but as long as he wasn't a burden and kept them happy, he was pretty sure he could make this last.

-ACE-

"Harry, this is going to be very important. As a wizard, there's a shopping district just for wizards. But we can't see it." Carlisle explained. They were walking down the streets of London, heading towards a place called The Leaky Cauldron. Only Carlisle and Esme were with him. Harry told them he had never really had a choice of clothes before, and after a brief argument and a very pitying look from Bella, Alice had been given charge of clothing. After a bunch of rapid fire questions about what he liked, a desperate backtrack when he said he didn't know and Alice's face fell, he told her his favorite color (green) and he was used to baggy clothes.

"We may decide to just get you regular things, but we thought we would explore a bit. It is your birthright, after all." Esme added. "We should be close now." Carlisle glanced down at him. "And remember, there are charms that prevent us from seeing this place. They may try to drive us off by making us think we forgot to do something or there is something dangerous over there. It's your job to convince us to keep going."

"Even if you want to leave?" Harry asked hesitantly.

"Even if we want to leave."

"I won't get in trouble?" Harry pressed,

"Harry, I give you my word you will not get in trouble if you convince us to keep going. This is a very important job and we trust you to guide us, okay?" Carlisle said seriously.

"Okay." Harry agreed. They turned on to the street that the Leaky Cauldron was on. Harry spotted it immediately, with a sign hanging out with a black cauldron on it.

"I see it!" Harry declared.

"Amazing." Esme breathed. "I didn't really believe it, but I don't see anything. Do you?" She asked her husband, who shook his head, also in wonder. Harry led the way, but as they got closer, Carlisle suddenly asked. "Are you sure it's here Harry?"

"Yes Mr. Cullen - sorry, Carlisle. It's right here." Harry said.

"Shouldn't we just go in a mall closer to home? It would be safer, right?" Esme suddenly asked worriedly.

"But...but you said we'd go here." Harry had been very excited to see the wizard shopping area.

"Harry, are you even sure it's here?" Carlisle asked. His voice seemed condescending, and Harry shriveled up a little inside.

"It's here, I promise." He insisted. Carlisle shook his head with a sigh. "Let's just leave." He started to turn. Harry felt even worse. Carlisle had said he would trust him! He had given him one job and Harry was failing and Carlisle thought he was a _liar _just like everyone else and he was going back to the Dursley's -

"You gave me your word!" Harry blurted, tears spilling from his eyes. "You said...you said you'd believe me and I wouldn't get in trouble and - "He hiccuped, wiping his face furiously as his chest shook with restrained sobs. Something in Carlisle's face shifted and suddenly he was holding Harry's hand tightly. He grabbed his wife's hand despite her protests that she was absolutely sure she needed to leave to talk to Alice about something, and stared Harry in the eye.

"Lead the way." Harry was so relieved he practically ran at The Leaky Cauldron. Carlisle followed, dragging Esme behind him. A few times Harry felt Carlisle's hand slacken, but when he looked back Carlisle gave him a reassuring nod, his face tight with concentration. They made it to the door quickly, and Harry wasted no time in opening it and letting Carlisle and Esme inside.

"Muggles?" A voice asked from behind the bar. The bar was almost empty, save a couple in the corner playing cards that seemed to sizzle. The barkeep was an older gentleman, wiping glasses dry with a rag.

"Is it that obvious?" Carlisle's voice echoed ruefully from behind him. The barkeep chuckled, coming out from around the counter and extending his hand.

"The name's Tom. Now and then a muggleborn kid will show up after running from their parents who tried to drag them away. Once before a particularly determined one managed to drag his mom with him. That was an interesting day." He chuckled. Carlisle shook his hand.

"I'm Carlisle. This is my wife, Esme and our son Harry. We've had some run ins with the magical world before, but those charms you have are very strong." He turned towards Harry and laid a gentle hand on his hand.

"I'm sorry about that Harry. I had no idea the charms would repel us so strongly. You did very well. I'm proud of you."

"It's okay." Harry said automatically, because Carlisle had just called him his son. Even the Dursley's, his own actual relatives, had only called him boy or nephew, usually with the word 'disturbed' in front of it. Carlisle knew he wasn't a liar, and had told him he had done well. Then Carlisle said he was proud of him, and Harry's brain basically short-circuited. He didn't hear the rest of the conversation between Carlisle and Tom or Carlisle's skilled diversion from his name and he barely noticed as they were taken to a backroom. He only tuned back in when Tom said, "Welcome, Cullens, to Diagon Alley."

**This chapter sort of wrote itself. The Cullens (particularly Alice) refused to let their scene be short. It was supposed to show Diagon Alley but it was already one thousand words longer than the other chapters and this is an early update, so I thought this would be a good place to end. Next up, Diagon Alley!**

**Please, please review. Reviews are love. Give Harry the love he deserves! **

**-Hatakefire**


	8. Chapter 8

**I am so sorry for the long wait. Boy this chapter was hard to start writing, but after my initial blocks I ended up with a really long chapter for you! Thank you for all your amazing reviews, favorites and follows. They make my day and inspire me to keep writing!**

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

Carlisle's attention was mostly on the spectacular sight before them as Tom bid them farewell and went back through the archway, but part of his attention was on his wife and Harry.

Esme looked like a kid on Christmas, her eyes open with wonder and sparkling with delight. It made Carlisle extremely happy to see her like this, as the past few years had been difficult on her. She hated seeing her family in turmoil, and seeing her so bright and in her element with Harry made Carlisle feel his decision to adopt Harry was even more justified.

It was also extremely humbling, to know that he had lived for three hundred years and a whole world was living right under his nose. Carlisle was an academic at heart, and while he knew this trip was partly to gather information to help protect his family, part of him was absolutely thrilled to have a completely undiscovered font of knowledge now at his fingertips.

Harry on the other hand looked completely overwhelmed. _He probably hasn't been in crowds like this too often. _Carlisle mused and made a mental note to take him on more outings so that he could catch up socially with his peers.

"Are you alright Harry?" Carlisle asked gently, drawing his family away from the crowd to a slightly less busy corner.

"Yes sir - uh - Carlisle - er, well…"

"Something bothering you?" Carlisle prodded. Harry looked extremely uncomfortable, and Carlisle was considering cutting the trip short when Harry blurted out, "You called me your son."

Carlisle frowned. "We did talk about having to keep your real surname quiet, Harry." They had had a brief discussion with him before they left about him being known in the Wizarding World, which is why Alice had used makeup to hide his scar.

"Oh, right." Harry scuffed the floor with his shoe, suddenly looking extremely disappointed and like he was trying not to cry. Baffled (he really didn't have a lot of experience with children beyond the conversations in the ER) he turned to Esme for help.

"We might as well get used to it anyway, since you're essentially our son from now on." Esme said easily. This seemed to be the right thing to say, because Harry immediately brightened.

"You mean it?" Harry asked hesitantly.

"Of course I do Harry. I've always wanted a son, and I think you're wonderful." Esme replied. Carlisle noticed the pain that flashed in her eyes, probably thinking of the son she had only known for a few days before he died. Harry didn't notice as he was busily wiping tears from his eyes.

"S-sorry," Harry hiccuped, sniffling. "I...I just...you're so nice." He blubbered. Esme wrapped him in a hug.

"There, there. Why don't we look around for a bit. We're in a magic shopping district you know!" Harry, as a young boy is wont do, was immediately distracted by the word magic. He wiped the last of his tears away, gave a slightly watery smile to Carlisle and Esme, and off they went, this time with Harry holding both of their hands.

After getting a general lay-out and looking around, Carlisle realized they were going to need to convert their money if he wanted to buy anything. The bank was the easiest building in the Alley to find, so he left Esme and Harry by Quality Quidditch Supplies and went to the bank.

It wasn't too busy inside Gringotts and so he was immediately seen by a teller. With years of long practice Carlisle was able to keep the surprise off his face when he was confronted with what he assumed was a magical creature for the first time. It was very short and fair skinned, with long, thin fingers and black eyes. From the inscription outside he surmised they were prideful and didn't take kindly to liars and thieves, and he expected they wouldn't like being gawked at like something in a zoo.

"Hello, my name is Carlisle Cullen. I am new to the Wizarding World as I've just discovered my son is magical. Could you tell me about the exchange rates and bit about how the money works here?" Carlisle asked politely. The teller gave him an unimpressed look, which was a refreshing change from the usual gobsmacked look he got from most humans, and gestured for him to follow. They left the main lobby and went down a few winding hallways. The goblin stopped to talk to another similar looking creature, but though Carlisle could hear their voices clearly he could not understand what they were saying.

They finally stopped in front of a room with a large door with runes inscribed in it. Carlisle was beginning to feel suspicious, as they had come a long way from the lobby just to answer a few questions, but he entered anyway.

Immediately, the door slammed behind him. Inside, there was a simple wooden table and chair.

"If you attempt to escape or make any violent actions, this room will immediately incinerate." A voice echoed around the room. _Well, that's not good. _Carlisle thought.

"I have not come here with any hostile intentions." Carlisle answered. His mind was whirling as fast as it could go, but he could see no way out of the situations. Jasper would be furious that Carlisle had let himself be caught like this. Carlisle was furious at himself. It had been a long time since he had felt truly powerless, and his instincts howled at him to bare his teeth and attack. He was the predator, and everything else was his prey.

He forced those feelings down and ignored the part of him that was thinking of poor Esme and Harry, left alone in Diagon Alley. The best thing he could do right now was cooperate.

"We'll be the judge of that. Sit." The voice said nastily. Carlisle complied, making sure to keep his hands out and to the side and moving at human speed.

"Why did you come here?" The voice asked.

"I adopted a wizard boy, Harry. His family was abusing him. Through him, I discovered this world of magic. I'm just here to shop and learn about his world." Carlisle said honestly.

"Is there anyone with you?" Carlisle hesitated. He didn't want to put Esme in danger, but the fact that they knew what he was led him to believe they may already know more than he thought, and lying would only hurt in this situation.

"Yes. My wife Esme, and the boy Harry." Silence followed his statement. If Carlisle's heart could still beat it would be going a mile a minute. Had he made the wrong choice?

"Wife?" The voice clarified.

"Yes." Carlisle confirmed.

"You are not in a coven?" _So they know exactly what we are. _Carlisle thought.

"No. I have a family. I am the head, and I have six children and one grandchild. Two of them chose to join us, while the others I changed when they were on the verge of death. We do not prey on humans - we choose to hunt animals instead." He added. The silence ticked on for a few minutes, and then the wall in front of him opened and one of the creatures stepped out.

"It was wise of you not to lie. These runes would have detected any falsehood and killed you on the spot." It said. _Violent creatures, then. But intelligent. _Carlisle thought.

"I did not mean any harm or offense by entering your bank. I really did just come into exchange money." Carlisle said, deciding to just ignore that bit of information. The creature waved his hand.

"We know that. We know of your kind, Mr. Cullen. You are not the first to discover us, though you are the only one who has been so….truthful." It gave a nasty grin. "We do not care who we do business with, but we also do not take kindly to threats upon us. You were seen as a threat, and now you are not. What can we do for you?"

They spent the next half hour setting up an account for the Cullens, exchanging some of the money Carlisle had on him, and at Carlisle's prodding also confirmed his idea that goblins (as they were apparently called) were prideful creatures and established how a proper goblin business relationship should work. These questions pleased Bargnok (who would be his account manager from now on) greatly, as wizards apparently rarely asked those sort of questions, and muggles were generally too afraid to ask. Carlisle asked if goblins did anything else, which led to a discussion of their role in wizarding society and eventually the topic of goblin made wards.

"Do they come straight from the bank, or does someone else approve them?" Carlisle asked. Bargnok smirked. "Like to be kept out of the know, eh? We have plenty of clients like that. It'll cost you a bit extra. I have a list of our basic wards right here."

And so the discussion went a bit longer until Carlisle decided to stop for the moment, as Esme would most likely be getting worried.

"Do you have an owl or house-elf to continue to discuss the matter of these wards?" Bargnok asked.

"House-elves?" Bargnok raised his eyebrow. "You really don't know anything, do you?" Carlisle chose not to be offended by that comment and instead said "Well, I did come to get money for books." Bargnok scoffed and gave him a quick rundown of house-elves and what they did.

They sounded extremely useful, especially as they didn't need to be around the house at all times. It would be convenient to have someone who could teleport through most wards, or protect them if this Dumbledore fellow did discover Harry. Carlisle didn't like how they were seemed to be considered as slaves, but he could easily just not do that in his own household. Bargnok told him that there was a small office in Knockturn Alley that people went to when they wanted a house elf. Most elves stayed in families, but if a family dies off, releases their elf, wants to trade one for money, or the elves have too many children that the family doesn't, the extras are given to the office and anyone can buy one.

Carlisle thanked Bargnok for his generosity and knowledge, and was escorted out of the building. He quickly found Esme's scent, standing out brightly in comparison to the magic floating in the air, and found her in the Quidditch store.

"He hasn't wanted to leave." Esme told him quietly, watching Harry as he stared at a set of Quidditch miniatures zooming around a field. She immediately noticed his face and asked, "What happened?"

Carlisle told her as quickly as he could, watching her face transform from concern to horror to resigned exasperation.

"You could have died!" She whispered, aghast. Carlisle nodded, pulling her close. "But I didn't. And we learned a lot." He reminded her.

"You could have _died." _She repeated, and Carlisle knew there was no winning this one. "I'll be more careful in the future." He promised, kissing her lightly on the forehead.

"Carlisle!" Harry said in delight, finally noticing him. He then clapped his hands over his mouth, embarrassed at calling out.

"I missed you too Harry." Carlisle responded, gently laying his hand on Harry's head. Harry practically glowed at the comment. _He's so starving for positive affection and yet so scared he'll do something wrong. _Carlisle noted sadly.

"See anything you like?" Carlisle asked.

"It all looks amazing. Even Dudley didn't have toys like this." Harry replied. Carlisle browsed the shop for a moment and grabbed one of the few books in the store titled _Quidditch Through the Ages. _It seemed to be the only sporting shop in the entire Alley, and if Harry didn't like it, Emmett certainly would. He also saw a night light that, after a brief inspection, seemed to be in the shape of something called a "Snitch", which flew around and was the object of the game. Carlisle also decided to buy that.

They briefly stopped at Madam Malkin's for a robe fitting so they didn't look so out of place next time they shopped there, where a flustered witch showed them what the "average" witch and wizard wore and insisted on measuring them by hand despite the tape measure obviously being capable of doing it by itself much to Carlisle's bemusement and Esme's irritation.

Carlisle briefly stepped into a luggage shop and bought a slightly expensive briefcase that when the correct code is put in, opened up to reveal an extra room. The shopkeeper assured him that everything inside would not be affected by movement in the outside world and that it came with anti-theft and, at Carlisle's request, a Repulsion Charm that would prevent things from being set on top of it and thereby preventing someone from exiting. This would be extremely useful, as their next stop was Flourish and Blotts.

Esme took Harry to the children's section to pick out some easy books for him to read and also to be read to. Carlisle doubted the Dursley's had ever done anything of the sort, and as such Harry would need much guided reading to catch up to his peers. Meanwhile, Carlisle began to browse for key topics. He bought a book of standard spells to give them an idea of what things wizards could do, a book on potions, a book on divination (He thought Alice might get some use out of it), a book on modern history, a book on Hogwarts, and a few other things that stood out to him that may be useful to know. He stopped in his tracks when he saw a small book, tucked in a corner, labeled _The Mind Arts. _The summary briefly talked about the two branches of the mind arts, legilimency and occlumency, as well as a list of spells that could affect the mind. Carlisle added that to his stack, and went to the front to pay.

He met up with Esme at the front, who had picked out a few children's books at the clerk's recommendation as well a few young child chapter books of varying genres. He purchased them all, pleased that his accumulated wealth could finally be spent on something more personal instead of the charities he regularly donated to anonymously.

He loaded all of his books in his magical trunk (He had a magical trunk. He thought his life was weird when Renesmee was born. Ha.) and turned to Harry with a small smile.

"Harry, you've been very patient and well-behaved all day. Would you like to pick out a few toys from the toy store?"

-ACE-

Harry was, quite honestly, exhausted. He had been given a whole new family and a new room and he had gone to a magic alley with all these wondrous, bright, flying things. He hadn't done too much walking, and yet he felt more tired than after running from Dudley at recess.

But when Carlisle mentioned toys, he perked up." I get to have a toy?" He asked quietly. He was never allowed to have toys like Dudley. He didn't mind too much, because they all seemed to break so easily. But they did look like an awful lot of fun.

"Every child deserves toys. That's plural." Esme said.

"Ploral?" Harry repeated in confusion.

"Plural." Esme repeated slowly. "It means more than one." And that was that. No yelling that he's stupid or a bother for asking questions. Just a simple explanation and a soft smile. _Is this what having parents feels like? _Harry wondered. He felt a stab of resentment at the Dursley's. _Is this what Dudley gets to feel all the time? This...this warm feeling? _

He was pulled out of his thoughts when they entered a new store. The ceiling was painted with bright colors, and the walls were painted with animals he had only ever seen on the telly. As he watched, he noticed the clouds painted on the ceiling moving, and the animals started chasing each other along the walls, making playful sounds.

_I love magic. _He thought as a few toy brooms zoomed above the aisles.

"You don't exactly have a limit Harry, but we won't go overboard okay? And we don't want anything too magical like one of the flying brooms, in case someone sees." Carlisle cautioned him. Harry barely heard him as excitement built in his stomach. _I get a toy!_

He searched up and down the aisles. At first he felt rushed, not wanting to take up Carlisle's time, but a rye comment of "I actually do have all the time in the world Harry" reminded Harry that Carlisle was a vampire and probably had more patience than any human in the whole world.

He looked carefully, weighing pros and cons in his mind. He had always wanted a stuffed animal, but he didn't want to seem like a baby. He wanted something fun, something Dudley would be extremely jealous of. He hovered by a really cool looking chess set but ignored most of the board games because it required more than one person to play. Carlisle and Esme were the nicest people he had ever met, but he didn't want to get a game and make them feel obligated to play it. Finally, he settled on an archaeology kit.

He would have to scrape away the outside like a real archaeologist, and when he finished he would have a statue of a magical creature. The magical creature could move around and even fly if he got one with wings.

"Is this okay Mr. Cullen?" Harry asked shyly. It wasn't obviously magical, and it seemed like it would last a long time, and he bet Dudley wouldn't be able to scrape open the egg without breaking it.

"It's Carlisle, and that looks great." Carlisle said warmly.

"Oops, sorry Carlisle." Harry said sheepishly.

"What else are you getting Harry?" Esme asked.

"You really meant it? I can get more than one?" Harry asked, his eyes round.

"We wouldn't lie to you, Harry." Carlisle reminded him.

"I know it's just...wow!" Completely overwhelmed for what felt like the hundredth time today, a wide grin split Harry's face. "I...I don't know what to get!"

After picking out his first toy, Carlisle and Esme helped him pick out a few more. He did end up getting a few soft toys, including a lion pillow that roared if it was tickled, and a stuffed bat that had soft, velvety wings and a fluffy coat. It was self cleaning (according to Carlisle, who read the tag out loud to Harry) but other than that it appeared normal.

"Are bats your favorite animal?" Esme asked curiously. Harry blushed bright red and shook his head.

"Why the bat then?" Esme prodded.

"You're vampires." Harry mumbled. He knew it was silly, but he had wanted to get something that reminded him of them. Both Carlisle and Esme burst out laughing.

"I'm honored." Carlisle chuckled, "But I can't turn into a bat." Harry blushed even harder, but before he could put it back in embarrassment Carlisle placed it in the basket he was carrying. They also picked out a few puzzles, and at Carlisle encouragement he picked out a few interesting board games and card games. "Emmett will be thrilled to have someone to play with, and Bella loves that she can tell when he's cheating now." Carlisle assured him.

As they paid and left the shop, Carlisle did add "This won't be how shopping is all the time. This is a special occasion for you coming to live with us, so you shouldn't get too used to all the gifts." Harry nodded seriously. This was actually a good thing for him, because he already wasn't sure he would ever be able to pay the Cullens back for being so nice to him and the more gifts they bought him the harder it would be.

They went back through the Leaky Cauldron, waving back at Tom as they left, and then went home. Harry could barely keep his eyes open, and he was relieved when Esme suggested he take a nap before dinnertime.

"Do I have any chores I need to do first?" Harry asked first.

"You are so sweet. No, Harry. Maybe later when you've settled in we can discuss what you can do to help around the house, but you just focus on you right now, okay?" Esme said, gently rubbing his head.

Esme was always doing things like that, and though at first he had been expected harsh pushes and flicking, he was quickly realizing that he very much enjoyed Esme's touch, and found himself wondering if his mother used to do these things when he was a baby.

"Okay Esme." Harry agreed, heading up the stairs to his bedroom. As he reached the landing, his eyes were suddenly covered with stone. He let out a startled yelp and tried to twist away, only for the hands to leave his face to steady him.

"Alice! You can't scare people like that!" Bella's exasperated voice came from just ahead of him. "Can't you hear his heart beating?"

"I just didn't want him to see anything." Alice said, her voice slightly whining.

"It's just his door, goodness." Rosalie scolded her.

"It's okay. I was just startled." Harry quickly assured them. Alice looked sheepish. "Sorry for scaring you, Harry. But I wanted to surprise you!"

_You did, _Harry thought, but decided not to say anything. He didn't want to make them mad.

"Do you like your door?" Alice prodded eagerly. Harry looked at the door, and was surprised to see painted in green, block letters _**HARRY'S ROOM. **_

Harry's room. His. Not Dudley's. Not charity. Not an assigned seat at school. His room. He felt his eyes water and he forced the tears back.

"Thank you." He whispered, his voice thick.

"Go, on open it! See what your Aunties did for you." Alice insisted, poking him slightly in the back.

"I can't believe you just said _aunties," _Bella said.

"Well, we are his aunties." Rosalie pointed out, though Harry really couldn't understand why she looked so thrilled at the idea. Why were these people so nice to him? He was just Harry. They were amazing rich vampires who took him in and fed him and didn't treat him like he was worthless.

"Oppppeennnn iiiittt!" Could vampires vibrate with excitement? It definitely looked like Alice - Aunt Alice - was trying. He obeyed, opening the door. He expected to find a few clothes, maybe the walls being painted green. He was completely off.

The first thing he noticed was that the walls had been painted, but not just a solid green. There was a whole rainforest around him, with monkeys swinging from vines and a tiger peering at him from around his dresser. It looked similar to the wall he loved so much at the toy store, (except it wasn't moving of course) though how they could have known he had no idea.

The bed had green sheets and a thick green comforter and the nightstand next to it had a baseball lamp.

"We weren't sure if you liked baseball, but your Uncle Emmett insisted it's something every little boy needs. And your Uncle Jasper painted the walls. They're out right now, but you'll meet them later."

"Oh Emmett." Esme had reached the top of the stairs. "You don't have to like baseball Harry, we can get you another lamp later if you like." Carlisle followed her upstairs and set down his stuffed bat and lion pillow on the bed, and began putting the books he got in the bookshelf.

"We also have toiletries for you in the bathroom. You'll know they're yours because, well, we don't use anyway." Bella added. "All of Alice and Rosalie's hair products are high up in the cupboard so you don't have to worry about them."

"This….this is all for me?" Harry whispered. "You really mean it?"

"Of course!" Alice declared. "Anything and everything for my favorite and only nephew!"

"Not everything Alice - " Esme started, but stopped when Harry suddenly wrapped his arms around Alice's waist. It was like hugging stone at first, because she completely froze.

"Thank you Aunt Alice." He said into her stomach. For a moment she still didn't move, and Harry was beginning to think he had horribly messed up when just as suddenly, she wrapped her arms around him. "Of course Harry. Anything for you." And this time, no one said anything.

**Wow! Long chapter to make up for my late update! I'll probably have two more chapters detailing some time with the Cullens. Next chapter Harry will be aged up a year, and then he'll be getting his Hogwarts letter!**

**I can't believe I made it this far. Your kind support and encouragement have kept me going. I honestly haven't planned Hogwarts much, but that's exciting because you guys can help me write the story! How much will things change? How much do you guys want to see angry mother Esme take on Dumbledore in a boxing match? (Okay maybe not a boxing match but you get my meaning)**

**Please review and let me know if there is any glaring errors (I'm so excited to finally update I didn't check too hard...whoops) there's a poll on my page about what house Carlisle should be in! Vote now, because when I update the next chapter the poll will change for something for this story.**

**-Hatakefire**


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER NINE**

Carlisle glanced in the rearview mirror, equal parts amused and satisfied to see a pouting Harry in the backseat, gloomily staring out the window. It was a rainy day and so Carlisle was able to take Harry personally to his dentist appointment. The absolutely dreaded and feared appointment (apparently a kid at school had recently had one of his teeth pulled and had emphatically told Harry all of the details) that was the cause of Harry's dismay.

"But you're a doctor! Can't you tell if my teeth are healthy or not?" Harry had asked desperately. A year ago, Carlisle had made sure Harry was up to date on all his shots, got him a new prescription for his glasses and a sturdier frame, and taken him to the dentist. Harry had been too shy then to voice his displeasure, but after a year he was slowly coming out of his shell. While Esme and Carlisle made sure he was a well-behaved boy who knew his boundaries in the Cullen household, Carlisle was happy to allow the quiet pouting in the backseat, as it was a sign that Harry was in a much better mental state than when he had come to visit.

Their relationship had grown much stronger and it made Carlisle happy to know Harry regarded him as his father figure. Harry had even brought the Pack closer to the Cullen family. As the Cullens couldn't really go out when it wasn't raining, it was the Pack who took Harry out on sunny picnics and one extremely memorable beach vacation where Harry had come back looking like a tomato and sweet Esme had spent half an hour lecturing the shame-faced Jacob about proper skincare.

Harry found he enjoyed playing games, whether it was sports with Emmett (they had fun coming up with the most ridiculous handicaps to try and make it possible for Harry to win) or even chess with Jasper. He had also begun to express interest in learning more about his heritage and spent some quiet nights reading his magic books with Bella, Edward and Renesmee. Renesmee had started to teach Harry the piano as well, and while Harry didn't seem to be musically gifted he was intelligent and had a grasp of the basics. But everyone knew Carlisle was his favorite person, and Carlisle could not describe how wonderful the feeling was when he came home from work to find his loving family and see Harry's face light up with undiluted joy.

It wasn't all fun and games, of course. The rest of the Cullen family had also been reading up on the magical world, its laws, old families and abilities. They had been especially interested in the mind branch of magic, and within that book was information on how to master Occlumency. It advised learning from a true master, but it listed the basic techniques that "even a muggle could learn". Legilimency required magic to launch an attack, but Occlumency was just strong mental defensive, and with their own resident natural Legilimens, they had mastered the art, much to Edward's equal relief and ire. While they were still unsure if it would hold against a magical Legilimens, and if Bella's shield would hold against any wizard attacks, it still put their minds more at ease.

Carlisle was so used to Edward being able to read his mind that he often left his Occlumency shields down, as did most of the family. However Edward did admit that it was nice not to have to hear the more intimate thoughts of his family, which was a plus. Even Jacob, at Renesmee's insistence and the promise of not having his father-in-law in his head, had buckled down and learned it, thereby shielding his entire Pack.

They had also acquired two house elves by the names of Popsy and Nilly. They had been part of the Lestrange family, but they had been delegated to backrooms and as such they had not been privy to more important information that made them useful. With the Lestranges in Azkaban and too many house elves for the left behind estates, they were unnecessary. Popsy was an older house elf and Nilly was his daughter. They had done odd jobs for years, and by the time Carlisle came around they were desperate for a family to bond too.

Popsy and Nilly provided the Cullen family with more information about the Wizarding World, house-elves in general, maintained the wards that Gringott's had put around the Cullen property and Charlie's home, and provided a quick escape for Harry if he ever needed it. They also ensured the Cullens, if found out and attacked by Dumbledore or any of his associates, would have a magical defense and a way for their memories to be brought back or at least be told of what they had forgotten.

Another change that strengthened their relationship with Harry was the visits to the Dursley's. The first time they had dropped him off, Harry had begged them not to leave, terrified they wouldn't come back. It was to be a sunny weekend and so they would not be able to watch him closely. Seth offered to keep an eye on him, and Leah of course went with him. Apparently, since it was only a few days, the Dursley's intended to keep Harry locked in the cupboard and only let him out for appearances sake once or twice, mostly to make him do yard work.

Leah was _not _having any of that, and while she and Harry hadn't been particularly close before the incident, and Leah refused to repeat exactly what she had said to the Dursley's, Harry now always looked at her with a bit of hero-worship in his eyes. After that incident, while the time at the Dursley's was unpleasant it was acceptable. They had not seen Dumbledore visit again, and so the plan seemed to be working well.

It had been a long year for the Cullens and while they still had challenges ahead of them, Carlisle was content with his life.

They reached the dentist's office and Carlisle got out of the car.

"Do we haaaave to?" Harry asked once more.

"Don't whine Harry, you're better than that, and yes we do." Carlisle chastised gently. He noted Harry's eyes twitching and he knew he was resisting the urge to roll them at his guardian. Now that he was more comfortable with the Cullens, Carlisle noted that Harry had a natural mischievous side and could be quite witty if the opportunity arose. It showed intelligence and creativity, and while he encouraged that being expressed in painting with Esme or the occasional non-damaging prank with Emmett or Seth (how they managed to to put a hole in the wall no one would say, or how Edward got involved or why Seth's hair was pink at the end), but as long as it didn't cross into being disrespectful he was alright with it.

Carlisle ruffled Harry's hair fondly, ignoring the outraged squawk as he tried valiantly to flatten his unruly locks and walked inside.

There was a receptionist desk to the right with a woman in her late twenties filing some paperwork. Over to the left was a young girl with bushy brown hair, curled up in a chair and reading _The Chronicles of Narnia. _The girl, Carlisle immediately noticed, _smelled like a wizard. _It surprised him so much he almost didn't respond to the receptionist's greeting, and quickly composed himself. He couldn't smell anyone else, and he felt no hostile intentions. Perhaps she was just a muggle-born or a half-blood.

"Why don't you go talk to her, Harry? She's reading the series you like." Carlisle had started reading the series to him when he went to sleep, and now that Harry was advanced in his reading level he had started to read it himself when he had the chance. Harry, who grew up around a bunch of girls and thought the idea of cooties was stupid, quickly walked over to talk to the young girl. Carlisle kept a close eye on him as he checked them in. Harry had asked her name (Hermione) and also what part she was at.

He went and sat down near the children, pleased to note that while very enthusiastic, Hermione seemed to be nice and Harry was happy to be talking to someone who was his age. Harry was still used to being a social outcast, and while he had opened up at home it would take him awhile to make more than just the few acquaintances he had at school.

"Mr. Cullen?" The dentist, a kind man by the name of William Granger, crossed the room and offered his hand. Carlisle gave him a firm but polite handshake. "Dr. Granger, good to see you again."

"You as well. And you must be Harry!" Dr. Granger turned to him with a smile. Harry stood up where he and Hermione had been sitting and pouring over the book, and after an encouraging nod from Carlisle, also offered his hand.

"Yes, sir." He said quietly. Harry still wasn't comfortable among adults, especially one as scary as dentists. Smelling his fear, Carlisle said, "Harry was told a horror story about dentists from a boy at school, and has been a little nervous ever since." Harry shot him a betrayed look and opened his mouth to deny it before Hermione interrupted him. "That's ridiculous! My daddy and mommy aren't scary. They're health care pruff….proofessionals!" She finished proudly.

"Your dad is a dentist?" Harry asked incredulously. "But - "

"But my teeth?" Hermione interrupted again, looking much too defiant and hurt for someone her age. Carlisle had noted the girl had some overgrown front teeth, but they weren't really that noticeable. It must have been a sore point for her though, if that was the first thing she thought of.

"What about your teeth?" Harry, bless him, looked genuinely bewildered. "I was going to say you're so nice!" Hermione and Dr. Granger both looked dumbfounded, and Carlisle smiled.

"My daughter, Hermione." Dr. Granger introduced. Carlisle looked at him with renewed interest. "My wife and I are both dentists, and we run this place. She's with another patient right now." He explained. Carlisle couldn't scent any other magical people or objects in the building, and concluded that Hermione must be a muggle-born. _This could be quite fortuitous for us. Jasper is going to be livid. _


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey! Sorry I was so excited to post the last chapter I forgot to add an A/N **

**Basically, my life was extremely hectic with student teaching and working a part-time job and doing online classes so my passion for writing has been nil. But I have rediscovered it, so here we go!**

**Note: Once we're at Hogwarts, it'll have less of a recappy-feel. I will be making a one-shot series with stories of Harry growing up with the Cullens! **

**Also: I have never had a Beta but it has been pointed out I need one because I never read over my chapters because I am too excited to post them….oops. So….**

**BETA NEEDED PLEASE HELP ME 3**

**CHAPTER TEN**

Harry Potter woke up on July 31st to Uncle Vernon's harsh slap against his door. "Time to get up boy. I want breakfast made before you go." Harry rolled his eyes as he sat up, placing his glasses on his face. After his big sister, Leah, had a _talk_ with the Dursley's, his treatment had been much better. They still loaded him up with chores and tried to ignore his existence, as though a ghost had come through and done all the gardening and the cooking and cleaning. But the chores were manageable, and it wasn't like Harry was going to complain. If all he had to do to stay with his family was fry up some eggs and pull some weeds, it was definitely worth the trade off. Plus, he loved cooking with his mom and while the Dursley's weren't his favorite people, it wasn't going to put him off from making an amazing breakfast for his birthday.

He usually spent his entire birthday with the Cullens, but this year was special. He was turning eleven, and would soon receive his Hogwarts letter. He had actually been with the Dursley's for about a month this time, as his family had wanted to make sure he was visibly living with the Dursley's in case anyone came by to see him. Once he got his letter, Jacob and Renesmee would be picking him up and taking him to his birthday party.

His stuff was already packed and his clothes were laid out from the night before. He threw them on and spared a glance in the mirror at his appearance. He was still thin, he had more of a lean body than a skinny one. His dad had made sure he ate properly and encouraged Harry's natural athleticism. He was on the soccer team and he did martial arts, which one of the Pack generally took him to when he was living with the Dursley's. His hair had repelled Aunt Alice's best efforts to tame it, and still remained a messy black mop on his head. His eyes, always a striking green, reflected confidence and intelligence back at him. His scar stood out on his forehead, an eternal reminder of his first mother's sacrifice for him and her love. He wore clothes that actually fit him, a nice pair of light brown trousers and a dark green t-shirt with circling designs.

"Boy!" He heard shouted from downstairs, and he left the smaller bedroom and practically ran down the stairs to begin cooking. No one looked up when he entered the room or said thank you when he served a load of bacon, sausage and eggs for everyone. He served himself last, but he did get a proper portion and it was quite delicious, if he said so himself.

"Are you packed?" Uncle Vernon asked gruffly. Harry nodded. "Yes Uncle."

"Good, you can wait at the door." Translation: I don't want to see you anymore than I have to. _Me either, Uncle. _Harry thought back, shoveling the last of his eggs into his mouth. He went upstairs and got his things before heading back down. He saw Dudley snatching the mail as he walked down the steps, yanking his trunk behind him, and heading back into the kitchen. A few moments later, an envelope from the kitchen was thrown at his head, which he snatched with the cat-like reflexes he had developed. For a vampire, he was still pathetically slow, but living withg them as long as he had, he learned to move fast for a human (AKA Emmett throwing tennis balls at his head and then trying to convince Esme they were "playing catch").

Harry turned it over and read:

_Mr. H Potter_

_Second Bedroom _

_4, Privet Drive _

_Little Whinging,_

_SURREY_

Harry felt a grin split his face. Their plan worked! His letter did come to the Dursley address, which means the people in the wizarding world were none the wiser that he spent most of his time with the Cullens. And, he was going to Hogwarts!

He decided to wait to open his letter with his family, as he was sure they would be eager to see it. He knew Hermione would be eager to see him open it, as she had received her letter almost a year ago on her birthday. After much discussion, it had been agreed that since the Cullens didn't want to break any laws, they would not tell Hermione she was magical. Instead, with Hermione being such a brilliant young girl, they left clues and hints to her discovering the Leaky Cauldron itself.

After that, the Grangers and the Cullens became much closer in their combined eagerness to learn about the magical world and prepare their little girl for the world she would be entering.

Professor Minerva McGonagall, who had come to visit the Grangers when Hermione received her letter, had been quite surprised that they already knew about magic. After some careful questioning by William and Jean, it was discovered that they only visited houses who knew nothing about magic, so the Cullens wouldn't have to worry about anyone visiting Harry because Petunia knew about magic.

The Cullens had taken great care to not reveal their true nature to the Grangers. Edward kept them informed that the Grangers knew something was different about them, but William and Jean Granger had leaned more towards "if they don't want to talk about it, we won't ask". They also knew about the arrangement with the Dursley's, after years of seeing Harry being delivered to relatives he obviously didn't want to visit, and bringing their concerns to Carlisle and Esme. Hermione, on the other hand, had pursued the Cullen's secret with a vengeance, until Harry finally "caved" and admitted they were a type of magical creature, but she had to keep it secret otherwise they would have to leave as she would be putting them in great danger. Harry had felt bad lying to his friend, even if it had been a sort of half-truth, but it had been enough to get Hermione to stop her quest of knowledge. It wasn't perfect, but with the crazy situation they were all in it was the best they could do.

The Grangers had even transferred Hermione to be at the same school that Harry attended. All of the bullying stopped once the popular, kind-hearted and athletic Harry Potter stood up for the bookish, know-it-all Hermione Granger. Harry had even encouraged her to join the chess club and the debate club, and she had a small circle of friends outside of Harry. The Grangers were thrilled, and after doing all of that for their daughter they probably wouldn't have cared at all that the Cullens were vampires (but of course they weren't going to test that theory).

A knock at the door brought Harry out of his musings of how much life had changed. He eagerly opened the door to meet his brother. Tall and muscular, Jacob Black stood grinning at the door of Number 4, Privet Drive. His wild hair, dark skin, and the black tank top that prominently showed a La Push tattoo was very out of place in this neighborhood, but that didn't stop Harry from going "JAKE!" And launching himself into his arms.

Jacob caught him easily and spun him in a circle, setting him down on his feet and grabbing him by the shoulders.

"Sup, pup?" He greeted, his casual tone countered by the concern in his eyes as he quickly scanned Harry's form for any signs he had been mistreated in the week he had seen him.

"Hey Jake!" Harry said, wriggling in his grip until Jacob let go.

Renesmee stepped from behind Jacob, her petite form having been completely hidden by her boyfriend. She gently placed a hand on Harry's face and he saw the Cullen home and felt her excitement course through him. "I'm excited to go home too," He responded. He turned to get his things but Jacob was already there, lifting the trunk that Harry had struggled with with ridiculous ease.

Renesmee skipped down the steps as Harry closed the door behind them and rushed to the car. Jacob threw his trunk in the boot and got into the driver's seat, and they were on their way.

-ACE-

Arabella Figg watched Harry leave with the tall Native-American looking man and the gorgeous brunette from her window. She saw them, and a few others that looked more like the Native American, come around Privet Drive to take Harry to some kind of sport lesson every once in a while. Harry had been going to that private school the Dursley's sent him off to for a few years now. Dumbledore assured her as long as Harry lived with the Dursley's and kept going back to visit them, the wards would hold. The owl had dropped off Harry's letter this morning, so it had been received. That's all she could report to Dumbledore for now.

-ACE-

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore sat in the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, reading the latest update from Arabella Figg about Harry Potter.

_Soon Harry...too soon, you will have to fulfill the prophecy. _Albus sighed as he rolled up the paper. When Arabella had first informed him of the private school, he had been a bit worried. He knew it was cruel to make Harry live with relatives that didn't want him, but as long as Harry was safe, that was all that mattered. Lily Potter's blood wards were the safest wards Harry could live under, so that is where he needed to be. That being established, Albus could see even more benefits from Harry living with the Dursley's. With no knowledge of magic, or very little if Petunia ever told him anything, and a craving for attention along with a strong desire to form positive relationships and a strong work ethic, Harry would become the perfect molded warrior for the Light. So when the Dursley's sent him off to a private school, he had been worried about Harry branching out and forming close relationships with people outside of the magical world.

Luckily, the only people who ever seem to visit Harry are what Arabella thinks are instructors from the school to take him to lessons. Some sort of athletics program, which Albus was fine with. After all, most Quidditch players at Hogwarts are very popular, and Harry needed to be popular and well-known to be a figurehead of the Light when the time came.

He would have to send Hagrid to take Harry to get his school supplies. He would send him tomorrow, as Harry would surely be feeling left out on his birthday, and Hagrid would be eager to cheer him up. Hagrid had no idea how to do anything subtly, and his big heart and desire to befriend "poor Harry" would make him a perfect candidate to introduce Harry to the wizarding world. Hagrid would most likely let slip he was guiding Harry Potter around Diagon Alley, which would probably make the front page of the _Daily Prophet. _Then he would plant the seeds for Harry's first test against Voldemort….The Philosopher's Stone.

-ACE-

Jacob stopped about a half a mile from the Cullen house, which was still shrouded from view through the trees. He and Renesmee both got out of the car and Harry followed, somewhat confused.

Renesmee slipped into the driver's seat and pulled away, leaving both Jacob and Harry by themselves.

"What's going on?" Harry asked, confused. He heard heavy footsteps around him, and turned to see he was surrounded by four gigantic wolves of varying colors. Jacob smiled at him.

"Now, we know that eleven isn't a usual coming of age time." Jacob began. "But you're going to be leaving for that magic school of yours, and the Pack can't come and protect you." At these words he heard the unhappy growls of his brothers and sister. Harry opened his mouth to interrupt that he wouldn't need protecting, only to have his mouth covered by Jacob's giant hand. Harry tried to pull it from his face, making muffled unhappy noises as the wolves changed from growling to chuckling until Harry gave up, crossing his arms unhappily.

"As I was saying," Jacob continued, leaving his hand in place much to Harry's chagrin, "We won't be there. But the Pack is more than distance, or physical contact. And you may not be a descendant of crazy, shapeshifting spirit dudes, but you are Pack. So we made you this for your birthday." Harry's eyes widened in shock as Jacob produced a necklace from his pocket. Hanging from the chain was the Quileute family symbol, the same tattoo that Jacob had on his shoulder. It was painted with the colors of the wolves' fur that surrounded him, and the middle was an emerald green exactly the shade of Harry's eyes.

"Jake…" Harry whispered, his throat full of emotion. The Cullens were his family, with his aunts and uncles and mom and dad. But the Pack were his brothers and sisters, and while he had always seen them that way, they were truly acknowledging him as one of their own, despite not being related by blood. Jacob hung the necklace around his neck and pulled him in for a hug, his burning body making it a completely different experience from hugging the Cullens but filled with just as much love. His Pack circled around him, nuzzling him happily until Seth licked him from his neck all the way to his hair, causing Harry to yell "GROSS!" and try to wipe the wolf slime from his person and Seth, Embry and Quil to laugh wolf chuckles. Leah body checked Jacob and lowered herself to the ground next to Harry. Recognizing the position, Harry grabbed a fistful of fur and swung himself on top.

"RACE YOU THERE!" He hollered, and Leah took off running. He heard Jacob's shout of "HEY!" Turn into howl as he transformed mid-leap to try and catch up to Leah, the rest of the Pack scrambling to catch up. Harry laughed in delight and then did his best attempt to howl with the Pack as they raced all the way to the Cullen house. When it came into sight, he was caught off-guard as a white blur tackled him off of Leah's back as she skidded to a halt. The blur moved easily and Harry somehow managed to find himself standing upright and undamaged with cold hands covering his eyes despite the speed at which he had been tackled.

"You didn't see anything did you?" The clear, twinkling sound of his Aunt Alice demanded.

"Only my life flashing before my eyes." Harry complained, his heart still pounding from the wild ride.

"They say when that happens you see your favorite person. You saw me obviously, right?" Aunt Alice asked him as she began to guide him forward.

"No, I saw everyone that didn't tackle me off of a moving wolf. Who does that?!" Harry demanded, stumbling slightly over the ground. He could see once again as Alice's face was suddenly in front of him, her golden eyes looking hurt. "You don't really mean that, do you Harry?" Alice asked anxiously. Harry couldn't resist those eyes for a second and immediately replied, "No, Aunt Alice. You're my favorite aunt forever and ever." Just as she had taught him. Then he realized his Aunt Rosalie and Aunt Bella could probably hear him and winced. Oh well.

Aunt Alice laughed and then his eyes were covered again as he was led around the house.

He couldn't hear anything, so he wasn't sure how long they had to walk until his eyes were uncovered and he heard a bunch of people yell, "SURPRISE!" He looked around excitedly at his family. They had a balloon arch with the words "Happy Birthday Harry" interwoven in the balloons. There was a giant picnic table laden with gifts and a huge cake with sparklers on it. There was another table that looked to be buckling under the amount of food laid on top of it. Hermione, Mr. and Mrs. Granger, Grandpa Charlie and Grandma Sue, the Pack (now in human form, of course) and all of the Cullens were standing on the lawn.

"Happy Birthday son," Carlisle Cullen said. He looked, of course, exactly the same as when Harry had first seen him, but the pride and happiness in his eyes and the way he said son always filled Harry with joy. He accepted the offered hug happily, and then was hugged by Esme as well.

"Happy Birthday son," she also said, her voice breaking slightly.

"Mom, don't be sad!" Harry said, alarmed. Carlisle put his arm around her waist as Esme smiled at him.

"Don't worry about me Harry, you know how I get. Go blow out your candles!" She urged. Harry was pulled away from his concern for his mother as Hermione dragged him away to the cake.

The next few hours were a whirlwind of fun and mayhem. Alice certainly knew how to throw a party, and Esme and Carlisle had become excellent cooks, especially with Popsy and Nilly helping to guide them. Harry did open his Hogwarts letter and it got passed around to everyone. They had already done their shopping earlier when Hermione had received her list, but they could now get Harry's wand, which was the plan for tomorrow. Hermione(with her parents' help) had bought him a wizard's chess set so they could play together at Hogwarts. Charlie and Sue had purchased tickets to a football match the week before he would leave to Hogwarts to take him to. Charlie had, as always, been left on a "need-to-know" basis about the whole situation. But at some point he had started to fill in the grandfather role, because as he said "I don't know much about this whole adopting you business. But you're part of the family and you actually grow like a normal boy, and every boy needs a grandpa to teach him how to fish and do sports and spoil him rotten, so here I am." Harry liked Grandpa Charlie and Grandma Sue a lot, and thanked them profusely for the tickets. To think, he had started out life as Harry Potter, a boy who lived in the cupboard, had no friends and lived with an aunt, uncle and cousin who despised him.

Now he had parents, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, grandparents, friends and magic! It was a dream come true, and Harry was thankful for it every day. After saying goodbye to everyone who didn't live at the house (which was just him, Carlisle, Esme, Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett), he was surprised when Uncle Jasper pulled him aside. Popsy and Nilly went about cleaning up the leftovers, and everyone else seemed to have disappeared.

"A gift for you." Jasper said, handing him a large box.

"Uncle Jasper, you already got me a gift," Harry said, confused. Jasper had bought him _Potions for Fun! _Jasper had become very interested in the subject of potions, and why they react one way or the other and how some ingredients are magical and some could be found in the human or "muggle" world. Since being in Diagon Alley wasn't nearly as painful for Jasper as any other shopping place on Earth, Jasper, Alice and Harry had actually visited quite often.

"Well, I'm getting you another one. Will that be a problem?" Jasper could be quite intimidating when he wanted to be, and if Harry wasn't sure Jasper loved him he would probably be attempting to run for the hills.

"Nope, no problem Uncle Jasper!" Harry squeaked.

"Good!" The sudden fear vanished as quickly as it had come, and Harry leveled Jasper with his best annoyed glare to show he didn't approve of Jasper using his powers on him, to which Jasper just shook the box he was still holding at him. Harry took the box and tore about the brightly colored paper with "Happy Birthday!" written all over it. He took out his brand new pocket knife that Uncle Emmett had given him (complete with a screwdriver, scissors, and other assorted useful tools) and opened the taped cardboard box. Inside it was a dark green, thickly padded motorcycle helmet with knee and elbow pads.

"Wicked!" Harry exclaimed. Before he could even fathom what it could be for, a loud rumbling noise met his ears. He ran around the side of the house to see Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Alice and Emmett all standing by an ATV. Harry stared at it in awe.

"Now, we do expect you to watch a safety video, read all of the instructions, and save all the crazy tricks for when you're older." Esme cautioned.

"But you said you like to go fast, and since you can't drive yet…" Carlisle nodded toward the vehicle.

"It's...so cool." Harry breathed.

"We expect you to use this responsibly, Harry." Esme continued. "You've been very good and we think you're ready for this responsibility. But if it's too much for you, we will take it away." Harry nodded eagerly, running his hands over the smooth leather seat and handlebars. "Yes ma'am!"

"And I will be supervising the safety video and going over all of the great stories I have from the hospital about similar aged young boys taking ridiculous risks!" Carlisle interjected cheerfully.

"Okay." Harry, a little less enthusiastically but still happy about the amazing gift. He gave his parents another hug. "Thank you guys!" His mom and dad pulled him in close.

"You're welcome. Happy Birthday Harry."

-ACE-

Harry was pretty tired after the events of the day, with the long car ride and then the party. He was surprised to be jolted awake by Aunt Alice. "Harry, I'm sorry to wake you, but you need to be awake right now." Harry rubbed his eyes blearily and read the time. 11:55pm. He had only been asleep for an hour.

"What's up?" The next thing he knew he was downstairs, his already ruffled hair even more tangled from the ride. His family didn't move him around like that often, but Alice seemed to be impatient. The rest of the family was gathered around the table, Uncle Edward and Aunt Bella included.

"Harry, Alice has had a vision. Someone is coming to visit tomorrow." Carlisle explained grimly.

"Who?" Harry asked, confused.

"I don't know!" Alice said, frustrated. "I can sort of see you Harry, through interference, because you're still human. Your magic just gives me a headache. But tomorrow is completely blacked out. I thought for a second…" Alice trailed off and Harry understood. Usually, if Alice can't see someone's future, they don't have a future. "But then I looked further and you were back home with us."

"We think someone from the Wizarding World is going to visit you tomorrow." Carlisle explained.

"Do I need to go back to the Dursley's?" Harry asked. He tried to keep the disappointment out of his voice, but from the looks from his family, he didn't succeed.

"It's just for one day. We'll pick you up right after." Carlisle assured him. He moved around the table and laid a hand on Harry's head.

"You're going to have to not mention us Harry." Uncle Jasper said. "At all."

"I know." They had gone over these kinds of scenarios before, in case a wizard popped up unexpectedly. Harry had even practiced Occlumency. It was hard to get his thoughts in order, but Edward had told him he could at least keep thoughts from rising to the surface, so at a cursory scan no one would know anything about his family.

"Aunt Bella has already packed your overnight bag." Bella handed him a bag decorated with soccer balls, and hugged him tightly.

"I know how much it sucks to keep secrets. And how weird this can all be." Bella told him gently. "You're going to do great."

Carlisle had his keys in hand, and after saying their goodbyes, he and Harry got in his car and drove into the night.

"What if I mess up?" Harry asked anxiously.

"You won't. And if you do, we've been careful not to break any of the laws we have read. Technically, you do live with the Dursley's. You just visit us often. Hopefully, if you do slip, nothing bad will happen."

"But what if it does?" Harry asked. "What if I say something and they do something terrible to you?"

"Then we will handle it when it happens. Remember Harry, the moment I discovered you, our family was at risk. You've done us a favor being with us and keeping us secret. Plus, we _have _been in fights before. I think we can handle ourselves." Carlisle assured him. Harry huffed. Carlisle was just so kind. _Him, _doing _them _a favor? If they had just wanted Harry to protect them when he got older and use him to get into the magical world, they wouldn't look at him the way Esme does when she tucks him into bed or when she hands him his lunch to go to school. They wouldn't sit with Harry and help him figure out how to do his homework or bandage his skinned elbows when he fell out of trees. The Cullens had been completely honest with them, and the thought of his father doing something just for personal gain...out of the question.

Silence stretched on for a few more minutes before Harry quietly admitted, "I wanted to get my wand with _you." _Carlisle placed a hand on Harry's head for a moment. "I wanted to go with you as well. But, if this is someone from the Wizarding World, it would be good for you to be friends with them. Besides, it's not like they're purposely taking you away from us." Harry scowled at the window, still unhappy with the circumstances.

"At least they're doing you a favor by not making you shop with the Dursley's."

The image of trying to shop in Diagon Alley with the Dursley's was both horrifying and hilarious. "I think they would implode." Harry said seriously. Carlisle chuckled slightly.

"You'll be back before you know it." Carlisle promised him. Harry nodded and then yawned, leaning against the car window. "Try to get some sleep." Carlisle urged. "I'll stay up with you." Harry insisted, fighting his slipping eyelids stubbornly. The next thing he knew, he felt the car pulling into Privet Drive and his father gently shaking him awake. "I'll go deal with the Dursley's, you go grab your bag. I'll tell them you're just staying in your room and then you'll leave as soon as your escort arrives. If anything bad happens, and Harry, I mean anything, you call Popsy to take you to us. Understand?" Carlisle said seriously, staring deep into Harry's eyes.

"I promise Dad." Harry agreed. Carlisle pulled him into a tight hug and then left the car. A few moments later as Harry was pulling out his overnight bag he saw the light in his aunt and uncle's bedroom window light up. He wasn't sure how Carlisle managed to make Harry arriving at 3am and a witch or wizard appearing in the morning to take him shopping seem like a good idea, but the light switched off and Carlisle appeared back downstairs.

"I think you're magic." Harry commented, rubbing one eye blearily. Carlisle just gave him a half-smile and pulled him into a hug.

"I love you Harry. Be safe." Carlisle said. Harry hugged him back. "I will. Love you too. See you tomorrow." Carlisle let go and watched as Harry got into the house, making sure to lock the door behind him. He looked out the window to see Carlisle pulling away, and with a heavy sigh he headed to his bedroom to prepare for the next day.

**We get to see Hagrid next chapter! I am excited to get Harry to Hogwarts! There will also be more about Hermione once we start going to Hogwarts and references to their friendship and such. What do you guys want to see? Are you excited? See you guys next time! Remember, there is a poll on my profile about what house Carlisle should be in!**

**-Hatakefire**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Thank you so much for the kind reviews, and for everyone who favorited and followed! My wonderful fiance has started reading this story and has been asking me to update, so he is fighting for you guys haha. I have attempted Hagrid's accent slightly, but it's not super noticeable because I am bad at it. As always, please enjoy!**

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

Harry had a restless night of sleep. He was nervous about the next day, and his dreams were about wizards descending on the Cullens and the Cullens being forced to leave him behind to live with the Dursley's forever. He woke up with one hand outstretched, his mouth open to shout for his mother as she sped away from him. _Esme would never leave you. _He scolded himself. Still, he felt rather shaky as he got dressed for the morning. What if the person they sent asked a bunch of questions Harry couldn't answer? What if they used Legilimency on him? What if they tried to kidnap him? What if -

A loud knock at the front door interrupted him. He scurried downstairs and went to answer the door before his family could shout at him for disturbing them. He opened the door to reveal an absolutely huge man. Like, he could probably wrestle with Jake in wolf form huge.

He gaped at him for a moment before a voice that sounded like Esme reminded him to use his manners.

"How can I help you sir?" He asked. The large man seemed to peer at him for a moment, before his face broke into a huge smile.

"You must be Harry. You have yer mother's eyes." The man said. His words stunned Harry for a moment. "You...you knew my mother sir?" He asked quietly. He placed a hand near his eyes at the rim of his glasses. He had his mother's eyes? The thought made those same eyes water with emotion.

"And your father. James and Lily Potter, two of the bravest people I knew." The man said. His voice was deep and could have been menacing, but with the smile on his face he looked quite friendly. Harry was at a loss for words, and just stared up at him with his mouth slightly open.

"Sorry! I should introduce myself." The giant thrust forward a large hand and completely obscured Harry's own, shaking it so hard Harry was worried his shoulder would pop out of its socket. "Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. You can call me Hagrid. Dumbledore sent me to take you shopping for school supplies!"

"Dumbledore?" Harry asked, the name of the man who placed him with the Dursley's catching his attention and snapping him out of his stupor.

"Only the greatest wizard in the whole world!" Hagrid scoffed. "We can walk and talk if you like, if yer relatives don't mind."

"Um, no sir." Harry stepped over the threshold and shut the door behind him.

"You don't need to say goodbye?" Hagrid asked with concern.

"No, I spend a lot of time outside. It should be fine." Harry assured him. He felt the urge to cross his fingers as he hoped Hagrid wouldn't call him out on his lie, but Hagrid just continued to beam at him.

"Y'know, I was the one who brought you here." Hagrid commented as they began to walk down Privet Drive. Harry noticed Number 3 and Number 5 peering through the window, and thought about how Petunia would react when they asked her what that large man had been doing with her deranged nephew with amusement.

"You were?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Yes. You were just a wee babe. Dumbledore's orders. Wanted you to go to family." Hagrid explained.

"Oh." Harry hadn't thought of that. With his parents dead, maybe it made sense to give him to his relatives. But then he remembered the CPS visit and what Dumbledore had done, and how Arabella Figg had watched him grow up sad, alone and mistreated but no one in the Wizarding World had done anything. Hagrid may believe that reasoning, but Harry knew better.

"Where are we going?" He asked, changing the subject. Hagrid had pulled them off to the side, out of view of everyone.

"Those...whaddya call em...cars?" Hagrid said, as though the word car was completely unfamiliar. "They don't really fit me." Harry thought of the image of Hagrid fitting into a car and grinned. Hagrid smiled back as he took out what looked like a bright red tie from one of the pockets of his giant coat.

"Now, I'm not supposed to be using magic, but Dumbledore hooked this up to take us to Diagon Alley".

"Dumbledore did this?" Harry asked with concern. Hagrid nodded and handed one end to Harry.

"Almost there…" Hagrid murmured.

"Um - " before Harry could formulate the words to express that he did not want to go anywhere Dumbledore wanted to take him he felt a sharp tug at his navel and he was sent spinning into the air. He flailed about wildly, looking for something to grab on to as he was flung through space, connected to something solid only by the tip of his finger. The insane trip finally ended as he landed hard on a wooden floor. He looked around quickly, scrambling to his feet and then pressing his back against a wall as his head spun. Hagrid sat across from him, looking quite upset.

"I hate Portkeys." Hagrid moaned, using one hand to rub his stomach and one to rub his temples. It looked like they were in a storeroom of some kind, and before Harry could bolt, the door opened and a friendly face appeared.

"Hagrid!" Tom said delightedly. "I'm glad you made it!"

"Tom!" Harry said in relief. They must be in the Leaky Cauldron. Harry's anxiety, which had just begun to fade at the sight of a familiar face, spiked as Hagrid said "How d'you know Tom, Harry?"

"Oh he's been here a few times." Tom explained. He opened his mouth to continue and possibly say something Harry wanted to keep secret, so Harry blurted, "Yeah! I found the Leaky Cauldron myself. A few years ago."

"Oh! Then you'll have been to Diagon Alley then. Kinda wanted ter show you meself, but I suppose I still have one trick up my sleeve." Hagrid looked a bit disappointed, but seemed to rally as he stood up.

"What trick?" Harry asked as he followed Hagrid into the main room and then into the part of the Leaky Cauldron that housed the entrance to Diagon Alley. A few of the patrons waved cheerfully at Hagrid as they passed, and Hagrid waved back but no one seemed to notice Harry next to the giant distraction that was Hagrid.

Hagrid grinned as the bricks began to spread apart. "Your Gringotts vault, Harry."

-ACE-

Harry was ecstatic to discover the fund his parents had left for him. His first parents, not current parents. That sounded bad. His blood parents? Then again, his current parents could also be seen as blood parents because they drink blood...He'd work it out eventually.

Anyway, Lily and James Potter had left him money, and after some pestering from Harry he also learned about the Potter vault, which he would have access to when he came of age. Harry took a moment to glance around the space, his inheritance. He didn't have anything from his parents, but here was proof that they cared about him and had thought about his future. He smiled as he took some money and put it into the bag the goblins had provided. He had no need for money really, but he could buy his own wand. His Aunt Bella had placed some pounds inside his bag for today but...it felt right, that his _first parents _(he really couldn't think of another way to put it) would be the ones to provide his wand, a wizard's most important tool. _Thank you. _He thought quietly, imagining the parents he couldn't remember.

He and Hermione had discovered they had minimal control over their magic and had enjoyed turning lights on and off, lifting light objects and playing a very slow game of catch. They could only do it at her house so that they didn't set off the Trace at a place of non-magical residence (muggle-born homes being the exception when wizards and witches are under the age of eleven). Hermione had held off using her wand until Harry had his, and he was very excited to practice with her. Maybe he could even pull a prank off on Uncle Emmett!

"Harry, I have another errand to run. Won't take a minute." Hagrid said, interrupting his thoughts.

"Alright!" Harry was eager to jump into the fast-moving cart again, though poor Hagrid looked to be dreading it. Harry was starting to like Hagrid. He had been cautious at first, but Hagrid was just...kind. He reminded him of his first impression when he met Carlisle. Sure, Hagrid was loud and large and a bit bumbling, but he had a good heart. Maybe not all wizards were so bad. Then again, Hagrid had let slip he wasn't supposed to be doing magic (another thing about Hagrid, Harry had already concluded, was that he couldn't keep a secret if he tried) so maybe Hagrid wasn't like other wizards. They arrived at Vault 713 and left the cart as the goblin, who introduced himself as Griphook, ran his finger along a door.

"If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that they'd be sucked through the door and trapped in there." Griphook said nastily. Harry knew to take him seriously, and yet curiosity prompted him to ask, "How often do you check to see if anyone's inside?"

"About once every ten years." Was the reply. _Geez. We must be in the really secure vaults. What could Hagrid want there? _Harry thought. He did his best to surreptitiously peer around Hagrid's body to see what was inside the vault. All he could see was a small, grubby package wrapped in brown paper that Hagrid dropped in his coat.

"Well, let's move along then! Got to do your shopping!" Hagrid said boisterously.

"What did you grab Hagrid?" Harry asked inquisitively.

"Nothing ter worry about Harry. Just something Dumbledore asked me to get." Immediately Hagrid shook his head. "Should _not _have said that."

"So it's for Dumbledore?" Harry pressed.

"Harry, it's best you don't ask any more questions about this. It'll be safe at Hog - wherever Dumbledore puts it!" Hagrid quickly corrected himself. "Let's get in this cart!"

-ACE-

"Hagrid, I have to confess something." Harry spoke up as they left Gringotts.

"What's that Harry?" Hagrid asked.

"Well...I sort of did most of my shopping already."

"You only got your list yesterday!" Hagrid exclaimed in surprise. Harry shrugged sheepishly. "I was excited." Which wasn't really a lie, but Harry still felt bad about misleading Hagrid.

"I see you take after your mother." Hagrid chuckled.

"I'm like my mum?" Harry said in surprise.

"She loved magic. Always excited to learn. Unlike your da. He was good at magic, but he spent more time on pranks and following your mother around than really learning."

"I like pranks too." Harry said happily. He had been dreading today, and now he had met a kind wizard who had known his parents. He had learned more about Lily and James Potter today than he had ever learned in his whole life, and he was thrilled. Then he thought of Carlisle and Esme, and felt guilty. Should he be so happy to learn about people who were dead, instead of the people who were taking care of him at risk to his own family? They were probably at home worrying about him and he was thinking about something else entirely!

"Your parents were good people, Harry," Hagrid said, perhaps reading his mood and trying to improve it. "Both Gryffindors. Head Boy and Girl."

"That's great." Harry said, feeling both pleased and then guilty again. Feeling the need to change the subject, Harry added, "Um, I do still need my wand though."

Hagrid brightened. "You'll be needin' Ollivander's then!" Hagrid began to move and the crowd parted for him, Harry trying to keep as close as possible to avoid being lost in the waves of people. As he had been chasing after Hagrid like this most of the time, keeping his head tilted down to make sure he didn't trip over anything and completely dwarfed by the sight that is Hagrid, no one had noticed his lightning scar. He usually kept it covered when he went to Diagon Alley, and he was worried the shopkeep would notice.

They arrived at an old building with a sign that said _Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. _

"Have they really been in business that long?" Harry asked. Hagrid shrugged. "Don't know, te be honest. Wouldn't be surprised." The bell tinkled merrily as Hagrid pushed the door open. The inside was dimly lit, and what looked like hundreds, perhaps thousands of wands in boxes, some dusty and some brand-new, lined all of the walls, continuing farther back than Harry could make out.

"Just a minute!" A voice called.

"Now Harry, Ollivander's a bit weird but he's a good bloke. I need ta stop and get something but you're in good hands."

Harry opened his mouth to protest as a voice echoed through the shop. "Ah, Hagrid! How is your wand? 16 inches, longest I ever made. Oh, I suppose they snapped it, didn't they?" The voice became disapproving as an eccentric-looking man with wild white hair and big eyes stepped up to the counter.

"Er, yes Mr. Ollivander, sir." Harry noticed Hagrid nervously tapping his umbrella that he had carried with him the whole time. "Well, I'll be off. Harry here needs a new wand." And he darted out the door.

"Wands can be snapped?" Harry asked nervously.

"When you are expelled from Hogwarts, yes." Ollivander explained. He snapped his fingers and Harry watched with amusement and then growing discomfort as the tape first began to measure his arm and worked its way to measuring between his nostrils.

"Which hand is your wand arm?" Ollivander asked him, snapping his fingers once more as the tape measure went limp.

"Er, I'm right-handed sir." Harry offered. He didn't realize how safe he had started to feel with Hagrid until he had left and was growing increasingly nervous. Ollivander disappeared into the shelves and appeared a few moments later with a wand. No sooner had Harry grabbed the offered handle before it was snatched away, and so the process continued. The bigger the stack of wands grew, the more excited Ollivander seemed to get, even when Harry accidentally blew out his lamp or caused boxes to fly from the shelves.

Finally, Ollivander paused in his excitement to level a very serious look at Harry's face.

"I wonder…" He left and came back with another box, and offered it very slowly to Harry.

"11 inches, holly, phoenix feather core." He said.

The wand inside didn't look any different from the rest, but when Harry grasped it in his hands, warmth flooded through him. He waved it and a shower of golden sparks, the exact shade of the Cullen's eyes, burst from the end.

"Curious...very curious." Ollivander murmured.

"Um, what's curious sir?" Harry asked.

"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. It so happens that the phoenix whose tailfeather resides in your wand gave another feather... just one other. It is curious that you should be destined for this wand when its brother gave you that scar."

Harry swallowed nervously. "Do...do I have to take this wand?" He was loath to give it up, as even now he clenched it tightly in his hand, the warmth having yet to fade from the wand. But the idea of having the brother wand to the one that tried to kill him and succeeded in killing so many other people made him feel sick.

Ollivander shook his head. "The wand chooses the wizard, Mr. Potter. It's not always clear why. But I think it is clear that we can expect great things from you. After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things. Terrible! Yes. But great."

Harry quickly paid for the wand, and when he turned to leave he saw Hagrid outside holding the cage of a beautiful snowy owl.

"Happy Birthday Harry!" Hagrid greeted him happily and held out the cage.

"She's...for me?" Harry asked in shock.

"She's yer birthday present. Well, eleven years worth of presents. She'll be able to deliver mail for you and also be a loyal companion. She's pretty smart too." Hagrid explained.

"But...Hagrid...you don't even know me." Harry protested weakly.

"Yer a good lad, Harry. And I think I owe it to ya. I know living with the Dursley's may not be the best, what being away from the magical world and all, and you deserve a great gift on your birthday. Think of it as a debt to yer parents, if ya like." Hagrid said simply. Harry looked up at Hagrid, searching his face for any kind of deception or other intent, but all he saw was Hagrid's friendly face.

"Thank you Hagrid. This means a lot to me." Harry said, taking the cage. The snowy owl looked at him and Harry felt like she was staring into his soul, before she scooted a bit closer on its perch and gave a small hoot that sounded almost approving. She would have to stay outside, or maybe at Hermione's if her parents would allow it (he doubted the owl wanted to stay in a house of vampires), but he was thrilled all the same.

"Well, I suppose that's it fer ya then. I'll be takin' ye back." Harry nodded, suddenly feeling quite exhausted. They hadn't actually walked around much but today had been a whirlwind of emotions and nerves and coupled with the little sleep he had had last night, Harry was about ready to turn in for the night.

They went back to the Leaky Cauldron and took a Portkey to the same out of the way corner they had left, and by the time they reached Number 4, Privet Drive, Harry realized he was sad to see Hagrid go.

"Thank you Hagrid. For everything." Harry said honestly.

"Least I could do." Hagrid said gruffly.

"Really." Harry insisted. "Thank you." _For showing me some wizards can be nice. For getting me a gift. For being kind. _

Hagrid smiled. "Hope ta see ya at Hogwarts Harry. Maybe you can come 'round for tea."

"I'd like that." Harry said, and waved as Hagrid lumbered off. He hesitated to knock on the door, unsure if he was allowed to wait inside with his relatives. He got his answer when he noticed his bag had been dropped by the flower bushes. He grabbed it and was about to sit on the step when a car rolled into the driveway. He was disappointed to see it was not Carlisle's, but his frown turned to a smile as his sister Leah and his brother Seth popped out.

"Hi guys!" He said happily. Seth grinned and waved. "Sup, pup?"

Leah wrinkled her nose at the Dursley house. "You got your stuff? This place smells terrible. Too much cleaning fluid and still can't mask their scent." Harry shook his bag. "I think I got it."

"Cool owl dude. What's its name?" Seth asked as Harry climbed in the back, setting the owl gently next to his seat. Harry smiled to himself. The Cullens could fake an English accent perfectly when they wanted to, but the Pack had yet to lose their American-ness.

"I don't know her name yet." Harry said. "Do you want to name her?"

"I know! How about Snowy?" Seth said quickly. The owl gave a sharp hoot that Harry interpreted to mean _No way. _

"I don't think so." Harry said.

"We're stopping by the Grangers on the way. The reason Carlisle didn't come was because Alice foresaw the owl freaking the hell out when it got near the Cullens."

Harry imagined the long drive home with a shrieking owl and decided he didn't want to test Carlisle's seemingly unending patience that way. "Fair. They'll take her?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, as soon as Alice said that we called the Grangers and asked. Hermione's thrilled because her parents weren't going to get her a pet but now she, like, sort of has one? Said Esme was allergic." Seth explained. "Then since Jake and Nessie are on a date Leah and I decided to go on an epic sibling bonding ride and Alice told us when to leave. It's been great."

"It's been hell."

"Love you too sis," Seth made a big smoochie face and Leah responded with a seething glare that should have set the car on fire, but somehow Seth was un-phased. Little brother immunity, Seth had explained one day.

"Alice couldn't see your trip, only that you ended it safely, so be prepared to be grilled until you're charred, bro." Seth warned him.

Harry, though he loved his family dearly and they did their best to let him grow and make his own mistakes, was wildly overprotective and he inwardly groaned at the upcoming conversation.

"Oh, and the good doctor has all those safety videos queued up and ready to go for your ATV, plus some stranger danger ones I think." Seth continued cheerfully as Harry tried to melt into his chair.

"Ooh does he have the one that raps that dad showed us that one time?" Leah asked.

"No, but I'll look it up!" Seth said excitedly.

Harry whimpered.


End file.
